The outbreak of COVID-19 has seen many business enterprises diversifying its portfolio to stay afloat. Thiruvananthapuram-based Sanchi, which has been making eco-friendly jute and cloth bags, has been one such venture that has come up with a range of new products.

It has launched a ‘Corona kit’, comprising two cloth masks, a pair of cloth gloves, ear protector/mask size adjuster, ‘Corona key’ [a key-shaped structure to avoid touching surfaces] and a cloth towel, all packed in a colourful string pouch.

Zafer Ameer   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Zafer Ameer, founder of the brand, says that instead of getting disheartened over the crisis, Sanchi wanted to tap into opportunities. As its range of multi-purpose bags and other products remained unsold during the lockdown, they started making cloth masks. Next in line was the ‘Corona key’. Available in wood and acrylic, it can be used to press buttons in lifts, switchboards and on door handles, taps, washrooms, cupboards and the like.

‘Corona key’ or protection key that will be help to avoid touching surfaces exposed to the virus   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Zafer says that the key, which has to be kept sanitised, was launched as per the request of a company in Technopark. The same firm purchased 4,000 keys and 80,000 masks for its offices in Thiruvananthapuram and Pune. A mask adjuster, available in elastic, plastic and acrylic, is meant to avoid ear pain while using elastic masks and to adjust the size of the mask.

Mask adjuster from Sanchi   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Products such as masks and gloves are stitched mainly by women living in and around its unit at Venjaramoodu on the outskirts of the city. “They do the work in their own homes. Nearly 2 lakh masks were made by these women. Products in acrylic and wood are manufactured by small-scale entrepreneurs in the city itself,” adds Zafer, who gave up his job with a multinational firm in Technopark to set up Sanchi. Transparent masks are made for the speech- and-hearing challenged to enable them to lip-read.

Sanchi has received orders for its Corona kits from an event management firm to distribute it among guests at a wedding. Contact: 9995463481, 8921659127