This 33-year-old MBA graduate from Wayanad in Kerala is making lakhs by just peeling garlic. Yes, it’s hard for many of us to believe but Ashwin A P of Kalpetta has shown the world how a small innovative idea could fetch you money and help you become a successful entrepreneur.
Though Ashwin has been thinking of starting a business for last two years and conducting research on varied topics, he decided to start a garlic peeling unit after he noticed the time and effort his family has to put in every day to peel garlic required for cooking various dishes at home. He approached the District Industries Centre (DIC) in Wayanad with the plan. The DIC led by its general manager Lissiamma Samuel extended all support and in June 2022, Ashwin launched a small garlic peeling unit called “Edassery Foods” at Edaguni, Kalpetta.
“I always had a passion to become an entrepreneur. Though I considered a lot of ideas to start a business, I wasn’t very confident because some ideas required huge capital. The garlic idea came to me when I noticed that peeling garlic is always a time consuming process at home. So just imagine how much effort one needs to take to peel one kg to three kg garlic daily in a catering centre or in a hotel. I consulted a few hotels and they all welcomed my idea. They agreed to take freshly peeled garlic if I supply them on a daily basis,” Ashwin told “Open Digest”.
Ashwin even earned praise from Kerala’s Industries Minister P Rajeev who visited his small unit at Kalpetta and appreciated Ashwin for starting a small venture and making it a big success. “I could employ five women at my unit. I am getting a lot of orders from hotels and catering centres. Even families are purchasing peeled garlic for daily use. We ensure that we deliver garlic fresh to our customers at an affordable rate. I am also getting bulk orders for marriages and other functions,” he added.
During the last four months of operation, Ashwin could earn a profit of Rs one lakh per month by supplying peeled garlic to his various customers. Ashwin, who was earlier a marketing executive with a hospital group, believes that innovation is the key to sustain in the market and has decided to come out with two-value added garlic products. “A peeled garlic will get damaged fast. So I decided to make dehydrated garlic and garlic drops. Both the products have longer shelf life and have the same properties and taste of fresh garlic. We are now more into marketing of these products,” Ashwin said, adding that he had made a total investment of Rs 10 lakh for the venture.
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