While many of his peers chased jobs after completing their engineering degrees, 31-year-old Karthik Suresh of Thrissur in Kerala decided to chase his dream of starting a venture of his own and began trading exotic fruits.
Though he has been selling different exotic fruits in the market for the last five years, his real break came when a small idea to sell neatly packed fresh jackfruit pods blossomed into a thriving business.
Today, Karthik processes and sells jackfruit pods extracted from over 10 tonnes of different varieties of jackfruit every month. His packed jackfruit pods under the brand name “Fresh ‘N’ Good” are sold through large hypermarket chains and retail outlets across Kerala and beyond.
The idea to start “Fresh ‘N’ Good” struck Karthik during a summer break, when he observed how difficult and messy it was for families to cut and extract jackfruit pods from jackfruits at home. Despite its immense popularity, many people avoided buying the fruit because of the effort involved in cleaning and separating the pods. Karthik realised there was a gap in the market for ready-to-eat, hygienically packed jackfruit pods.
Starting with a modest unit in the backyard of his home at Irinjalakkuda, Karthik sourced jackfruits from local farmers and hired a few helpers to manually clean and pack the pods. His initial customers were small retailers and friends. However, as word spread about the quality and convenience of his product, demand skyrocketed. Recognising the potential, he invested in better equipment and streamlined his operations without compromising on hygiene and freshness.
Within a year, Karthik’s products caught the attention of major hypermarket chains. Today, his client list includes some of the biggest names in retail like Lulu, and his brand has become synonymous with quality jackfruit pods.
With a processing capacity of over 10 tonnes per month, his small idea has transformed into a well-recognized business generating steady income and providing jobs to a dozen local women.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to start a fruits trading venture of my own after completing my engineering in electrical and electronics. Everyone told me to find a safe job, but I believed in this idea. I am happy that the idea to provide fresh jackfruit pods in a hygienic way got connected with the people. Jackfruit is Kerala’s pride, and I wanted to make it easy for people to enjoy it without any hassle,” Karthik told “Open Digest“.
Karthik offers different varieties of jackfruit pods in 200 gm packets ensuring that only the best reaches the customers. “Our utmost priority is quality and freshness. Shelf-life is very important. We are only catering to regions where we can deliver our products fresh. I am working on improving the shelf-life of the jackfruit pods so that we can extend our reach,” he said.
