There is a saying in Malayalam tengu chadikilla, which roughly translates to ‘coconut trees don’t deceive’. Coconut products have high economic value. This Philippines-based agri-tech startup is making such products as an alternative to plastic.
Coconut products
Across the globe, supermarkets and food outlets use styrofoam containers for the packaging of food products. However, styrofoam is not good for nature. There came Fortuna Cools with an innovative idea of making a biodegradable product out of the coconut. The first product of the startup named Coconut cooler was a biodegradable one. This product acted as an alternative to the traditional styrofoam containers. The startup founded in 2018 by David Cutler and Tamara Mekler has support from ADB ventures.
Cutler and Tamara Mekler started working on the Fortuna Cooler project in 2018 as graduate students at Stanford University. Along with Coco Technologies Corporation, the startup developed a technology to turn coconut husks into insulated coolers.
The husks are sourced from small-scale farmers in the Philippines. The waterproof liners are made using recycled textile products. The containers aimed at food distributors, farmer cooperatives, and fishermen are biodegradable. Since upcycled materials are used by Fortuna, it is not giving out carbon dioxide or other harmful gases.
New products
The Philippines is one of the top producers of coconut and coconut products in the world. Every year, an estimated 9 billion husks are burned or left in the field and they can take years to decompose. According to Cutler, farmers don’t have a choice but to burn the coconut husks, emitting tons of carbon dioxide. Through this initiative, the farmers will get a decent income.
The products were introduced in the market this August through Kickstarter.com. Their next product is Nutshell 2.0. This cooler is made of recycled polyester and insulated using coconut husks. The coolers are designed to retain cooling and freshness for a long time. This innovation is absolutely a model Kerala can adopt.
