Meet The Kerala Couple Promoting Sustainable Living With Their Edible Cutlery

Age has no bounds on creativity, curiosity and passion and this Kerala-based entrepreneur has been a living testament to this. Ernakulam-based Vinayakumar Balakrishnan has been an explorer who has ventured into the fields of geology, banking and finance. It was only 55 years into his life and a couple of years before his retirement that he found his calling towards sustainability and sustainable living practices.

Vinayakumar co-founded Thooshan with his wife Indira. The brand creates edible kitchenware that is created out of wheat bran and rice. The range of products includes spoons, forks, plates, and even straws made with leftover rice.

The cutlery can remain intact with soup and other fluid foods for up to an hour. Post-consumption, these plates become a crispy additive that is edible. If the cutlery feels heavy to be consumed after a large meal, it also alternates as manure for plants too. Vinayakumar derives the inspiration for Thooshan from a similar endeavour in Poland. He decided to bring the idea down to his homeland and give it an authentic, South-Indian twist to it. Thooshan, which means banana leaf, represents the heritage of serving food on natural cutlery.

If you wish to purchase Thooshan’s products, write to their team at vinay@thooshan.com

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