Meet the couple that earns Rs 2 lac a month from Papla tableware, grow bags business after quitting UAE jobs

A couple from Kerala quit their corporate jobs in the UAE to start their own business, Papla, which creates tableware, grow bags, and other items out of arecanut leaf sheaths.
Engineer Devakumar Narayanan lived in the UAE for four years, working a 9-5 corporate job and having a fast-paced existence. The gruelling pace and lifestyle that his employment involved left the couple with a strong desire to return to their hometown - Kerala – soon after his wife Saranya joined him.
So they returned to Kasaragod in 2018 with the intention of launching their own business.
Saranya says, "We'd always planned to create our own business that had a good cause and a sense of social responsibility."
After deciding to enter the manufacturing industry, they began seeking for locally available and natural raw materials that may serve as their unique selling point.
"We finally went for arecanut leaf sheaths, after exploring several choices. Arecanut trees grow in abundance in Kasaragod, making it easy to obtain the crop. They are also eco-friendly, biodegradable, and a viable alternative to plastics, Devakumar explains.
After they had decided on an idea, they began looking for a brand name that was meaningful and related to their business goal. Arecanut leaf sheaths can be used in place of plastic or paper.
Saranya says, "We dubbed it 'Papla' with the concept of using less paper and plastic." Papla was founded in 2018. It currently produces everything from tableware to grow bags out of arecanut leaf sheaths, with a monthly revenue of Rs 2 lakh.
Devakumar and Saranya quickly established a small manufacturing company near their home in Madikai panchayat, which presently employs seven people.
According to Devakumar, "The sheaths are only collected when they fall off the trees, and they are never collected otherwise."
Most of the products that Papla makes are tableware such as plates, bowls, and spoons.
Devakumar Narayanan explains, "We have dinnerware in a variety of sizes and forms, such as plates ranging from 4 to 10 inches in diameter, shallow and deep bowls, spoons, and so on. We also customise them in response to customer needs."
Papla tableware also creates packaging for handcrafted soaps, badges, caps, hand-fans, grow bags, and wedding invitations in addition to dinnerware.
He adds, "The grow bags are created by manually weaving together the sheaths. Papla's greatest sellers are the dinnerware, which ranges in price from Rs 1.50 to Rs 10. Handmade items, such as grow bags, are marketed at Rs 40, while caps are priced at Rs 100. We accept orders via our website as well as over the phone."
The company has recently introduced wedding invitations printed on these leaf sheaths. Instead of paper, they use UV printing technology to print wedding invitations on sheaths. Aside from that, use the same technology to create badges for events and occasions.
Saranya said, "Aside from manufacturing our products in our micro-unit, we also assist many other small local units that work on acrecanut leaf sheaths by providing them with a marketing area. There are approximately 20 identical units in this area that are having difficulty finding customers for their products. So we support them in improving their product quality by training and assisting them in finding a market "
The couple claims they also export their products on a modest scale and hope to grow into handicrafts in the future.
Papla is currently trying to expand the international market for its products.
https://timesapplaud.com/?p=10744&feed_id=12114
Comments
Post a Comment