Dr. Saji Varghese is a professor at Christ University in Bangalore, but what led him to establish a startup in Bangalore? His passion for the environment sparked an extraordinary journey that could combat plastic pollution while at the same time uplifting the lives of rural women. 

The innovative venture pioneers the creation of the world's first straws made from dried coconut leaves, heralding a breakthrough in the battle against plastic pollution and rural unemployment.

Fallen coconut leaves are collected from various parts of India. Rural women are employed to carefully extract the midribs, clean the leaves, and initiate the processing stages.  These leaves undergo a blend of manual and automated procedures, culminating in the production of eco-friendly straws.

Dr Varghese has incorporated chemical free methods to harness the natural properties of coconut fronds.The leaves surface gets coated with wax when pressurized with steam.  The resulting straws boast a nine-month shelf life and can sustain in drinks for up to six hours. This makes them one of the best alternatives to plastic straws.Notably, a single coconut frond yields approximately 600 straws, ranging from 3 to 13 millimeters in diameter.

In a conversation with The New Indian Express, Dr. Varghese elaborated on the production process and revealed global interest in these eco-straws. Samples were dispatched to ten countries and the response was very encouraging as they received orders for millions of straws.

Available in two variants—a regular-use straw and a smaller version incorporating the midrib for easy piercing of tetra packs—these eco-conscious alternatives present a cost-effective solution produced on a significant scale, marking a significant step towards sustainable living.