The idiom “old wine in a new bottle” seems more apt to what this young agri start-up Nature Bowl has set out to do, by giving the tender coconut a nice makeover, a neat look.

Thennavan, an MCA graduate and team member of this 6-month-young start-up, told BusinessLine that there was nothing new about the venture except for the fact that they wanted to focus on the appearance of the nut.

“We realised that buyers go by the look of the fruit more often and decided to give the tender coconut a premium feel. So we shave off the outermost layer around the middle with an electric peeler, retain the green/ yellow layer as a border on either side, drill a small hole on the top with a drilling equipment and offer it with a paper straw and tissue. It is offered fresh from farm,” he added. The team has bought implements such as cutters and drilling tools from China. “We don’t use billhook (an implement used by roadside vendors) to cut the top of the nut,” he said

The makeover has drawn lots of attention. The team is in talks with local hospitals here for supply of the tender coconut to patients.

“We have an outlet at PSG Institute of Medical Research and at the management institute as well. We undertake home deliveries too,” said Sangamesh, another member of this venture.

“We have orders for 200-250 nuts a day at present. We source around 2,000 tender coconuts every week from farms in Pollachi and Sathyamangalam. Orders have started to pick up over the past week with the onslaught of summer, including home deliveries,” said Sarathkumar.

The investment on this venture is estimated at ₹15 lakh, towards implements and tools, a warehouse and a vehicle for transportation of the nuts.