Homemaker to Entrepreneur: Woman Found Financial Freedom in Coconut Biz, Earns Rs 20 Lakh/Month

“Never in my wildest dream did I ever think of becoming an entrepreneur. I didn’t have any experience in the business field,” says Sumila Jayaraj, the founder of Greenaura, a company which sells coconut-based products across the world.

Hailing from the small town of Engandiyur in Kerala, Sumila’s childhood aspiration was to become a doctor. However, after graduating in zoology, she studied English Literature and was married before the results were even announced.

After her marriage, she moved to Mumbai with her husband. “Soon, I gave birth to twins, becoming an extremely occupied homemaker,” she says.

“After six years, we shifted to Kerala when my husband went to Dubai for a job. My kids also moved out for studies. I had enough time on my hands and wanted to engage myself in work. I felt this was the right time when I could establish an identity for myself,” she adds.

In 2010, Sumila joined a local company manufacturing virgin coconut oil. “I would get many queries about the virgin coconut oil and was also the one at work attending to all the international customer calls. I was able to successfully ensure the company’s first export order to London.”

“As the inquiries came, I started to learn more about the product and understand its importance. This is when I got passionate about the coconut products,” she explains.

This job experience laid the foundation of her entrepreneurial journey and in 2021, she formally launched her company ‘Greenaura’ that sells 13 coconut-based products including virgin coconut oil, milk powder, vinegar, curry powder, chutney, and pickle. 

With this, Sumila says, she makes an average sale of Rs 20 lakh in a month. Interestingly, delivering through her website, she has developed a customer base in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Malaysia.

From homemaker to an entrepreneur

A 2021 study published in the Asian Journal of Pharmacognosy termed virgin coconut oil as a ‘miracle oil’. The study mentions that the oil has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory, anti-hyperlipidemia, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-bacterial and neuroprotective properties.

Sumila says, “Virgin coconut oil is considered the mother of all oils owing to its health benefits. There is a lot of goodness in it. It also acts as an immunity booster and is the best moisturiser. Mothers can even apply the oil on newborn babies.”

“As part of my job, I was looking for testimonials. That’s when I came to know about a doctor who was using virgin coconut oil to treat ulcers in children who were cancer patients. Usually, children develop painful ulcers in their mouth post chemotherapy. This testimonial really surprised me and also ignited the passion inside me,” she adds.

And three years into her first job, Sumila quit the job to start her own company from a small shed adjacent to her house. “My mission was to develop as many value-added products from coconuts and advertise their goodness to the whole world,” she adds.

She explains how she uses the centrifugal method to make cold-pressed virgin coconut oil instead of the hot-pressed oil method. “After getting the coconuts, we separate the oil from coconut milk using the centrifugal machine. Traditionally, the oil is produced by heating the coconut milk and is processed after boiling,” she adds.

“But, in the centrifugal method, the coconuts are pressed gently and milk is spun at 10,000 revolutions per minute in the machine. Without any heating process, we are able to retain more nutrients and antioxidants in this method,” she says.

Other than virgin coconut oil, Sumila is manufacturing 13 other coconut-based products.

Highlighting the challenges in establishing the company, she says, “I did not have any business background and I started from scratch. I faced a lot of challenges being a female founder. From getting a loan and permission to set up the unit to driving the delivery vehicle and raising awareness on the importance of the coconut products, everything was a challenge.”

It took her over two years to figure out the issues but slowly, she started getting orders. Since then, there has been no looking back.

Launching her own company was a turning point for Sumila. “Firstly, I was dependent on my father for my studies and after my marriage, I became dependent on my husband,” she shares. 

“As a woman, we need financial security and it was high time that I taste independence and feel passionate about work. This work has totally changed my life because prior to this, I never really tried taking up any job. Now, I can't think of sitting alone and not doing anything,” she says.

“I was once a very shy person. I hesitated to speak in public. Now, I speak in universities and have made lots of contacts abroad. Last month, I went to Thailand for an exhibition under the coconut development board,” she shares. 

“As a homemaker, I couldn’t even have thought about this life. It was an unexpected turning point for me and certainly it was a fulfilling journey from being a homemaker to an entrepreneur,” she adds.

Edited by Padmashree Pande. All photos: Sumila Jayraj.