Thiraivyam Coco Products

Down here at No.3/16B in Keezha Krishnan Puthoor, we stay pretty busy with the coconut side of things. Pallam is a good place for this kind of work because of the trees and the weather. Thiraivyam Coco Products is basically a workshop and a small storage yard behind my house. We spend all day out in the heat, mostly handling the husks and the fiber. My hands are usually stained and rough from the work, but that is just part of it. We don't have a front desk or a receptionist. If you come looking for us, you’ll probably find us out back by the machines. It’s dusty and noisy, and we have to shout to hear each other over the processing equipment. My brother helps me with the heavy bags and the loading. We don’t really have a set schedule, we just work until the day’s pile is finished. Sometimes the equipment breaks down and we have to spend half a day fixing it with whatever tools we have on hand. It’s not a fancy life, but it’s what we know. The air always smells like dried coconut and salt because we aren't too far from the water. We sell to whoever needs it and try not to overthink things. It’s just a local operation trying to make a living off what the land gives us.