At the age of 46, Vinaykumar Balakrishnan retired from his corporate hustle. He then went on to found Thooshan, an environmentally-conscious cutlery brand, in Ernakulam, Kerala.
After enjoying a successful career in various domains, including the Railways, Army, and banking and insurance, he aimed to retire at 45 and embark on a globetrotting adventure.
In 2013, upon returning from Mauritius, after a successful stint in an insurance company, Balakrishnan and his family made their home in Kakkanad, Kochi 100% solar-powered.
“From day one, we use biogas, and follow vigilant waste management practices, including the segregation and responsible disposal of plastic waste. We as a family are eco-friendly.”
He shares, “Mauritius is a very, very clean country. You will not find a single piece of paper on the road, nor plastic of any kind; not even a bottle cap.”
His journey into the eco-friendly cutlery was not premeditated. Years of dedication and collaboration bore fruit in 2018 when the first eco-friendly plate emerged from the lab.
Production ramped up in 2021, leading to VIR Naturals, whose eco-cutlery were branded as ‘Thooshan’, a derivation of the word ‘thooshanila’, meaning plantain leaf in Malayalam.
“My products are entirely waste-free. I source wheat bran, typically discarded as agricultural waste, from mills in Angamaly to create our plates,” He beams.