Thenga revives Artisans Culture Across Kerala - An Insight

Maria Kuriakose obtains her raw material, coconut shells, from mills that remove the oil from the mature kernel (copra) while discarding the exocarp. These shells are sandpapered, varnished, and converted into beautiful smoothie bowls, planters, candle holders, mugs, and even flatware by artisans from Kerala.

Maria chose coconut because she wanted to work with natural items obtained from Kerala that would also benefit the agriculture sector, and she called her brand Thenga after the state’s primary crop – thenga means coconut in Malayalam.

“Before deciding on the shell, I considered utilising coconut water and husk. The majority of it was burned as fuel in oil mills, with only a minor portion being utilised to manufacture activated charcoal. Every component of the coconut is useful, but unlike in Southeast Asian countries, “making value-added things out of coconut shells is limited here,” she explains.

She has modernised the trade by working with coconut shell artisans in Kottayam, Kodungallur, and Wayanad. Traditionally, their market has been limited to craft bazaars and fairs, but due to limited product possibilities, there have been few takers.

Maria left her corporate position in Mumbai in 2020 and moved back to Kerala to focus on Thenga, which she had founded the previous year. Her father, a retired engineer, assisted her in establishing the production facility in Thrissur, where she and her mother created coconut bowl samples. She then went to stores that specialised in eco-friendly products. She now splits her time between Thrissur and Palakkad, where she now resides.

She began manufacturing tiny batches at the facility as orders began to come in. Selling on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart grew her customer base, pushing her to think about expanding. “I hadn’t considered artists until that point since I wasn’t sure if there was a demand for shell products. When I started getting orders, I enlisted the help of artists. After all, it wouldn’t have made sense to get them interested right away only to leave them with nothing to do,” she explains. Her items are also available for purchase on Instagram [@thenga coco].

Coconut shell spoons and ladles have long been used in Kerala kitchens; however, when their popularity faded, artisans who created them turned to making handicrafts and jewellery.

According to Maria, these craftsmen typically do not have enough orders to support themselves, therefore they do not rely on shell handicrafts as a source of revenue. She collaborates on product creation with the artisans, keeping the designs simple enough for mass production. “This is a time-consuming procedure because they are handmade and each piece takes a lot of effort,” she adds

Maria and the craftspeople are both responsible for procuring the raw materials. Finding the appropriate size shell is difficult since it necessitates sorting through mountains of discarded coconut shells and paying for one that is “perfectly shaped.” Coconut wood cutlery is also made by Thenga.

The size of the shells varies according on the season. A typical [Kerala coconut] shell can hold 200 ml, whereas a jumbo size [Kerala coconut] shell can store 500-600 ml. She imports the shells from Vietnam for larger bowls (800-900ml). Her objectives include establishing a large-scale production facility to handle both domestic and international requests.

She doesn’t use any artificial substances in the manufacture of these bowls in order to provide a sustainable, zero-waste natural product.