Mr.N.Paventhan
Managing Director
Evergreen Agencies (P) Ltd
Areca Plates: Creating Eco-friendly Wealth Out of Waste
Switching from working in an IT company to saving the environment, Mr. Paventhan, the managing director at Evergreen Agencies is all set to bring an eco-friendly change with his Areca plates business. He started on a small scale and he single-handedly marketed his products to bring it to a level that it has come to today. Evergreen Agencies supplies to major IT products, restaurants, hospitality sector and online grocery shopping businesses for the packaging of fruits and vegetables.
- What motivated you to start your venture?
Plastics need to be banned. They are harmful to the environment. Areca plates are a great solution as they are both eco-friendly and biodegradable. It saves water and labour efforts.
- Talk about how your business is doing at present.
The business has taken off very well. We provide not only to cities such as Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad but have also expanded our reach to the California and Malaysia markets, to name a few. Our product range comes in different shapes and sizes in the form of plates, bowls, spoons etc. We supply plates for weddings, birthdays and in temples. Statistically, we manufacture 3 lakh pieces of Areca plates per month. In addition, training sessions on how to wash raw materials and ready them for the production process are conducted. Programs with Putiya Thalaimurai Foundation give us exposure and boost our marketing efforts.
- What are your future plans in expanding or bettering the business?
We are working towards supplying our products to railways and airports. Currently, silver foil is being used which is not advisable. Areca can be easily decomposed and hazard-free during disposal. We are also creating awareness on the elimination of plastics and replacing it with Areca products.
- What are the other disciplines that you are currently involved in?
Our programs aim at creating awareness on environment-friendly options. Organic farming and cultivation, organic products, eco-tourism in Tamil Nadu etc. are some other disciplines.
- What inspires you?
I am inspired to provide a livelihood to farmers. They can handle production but marketing is something they need help in. Eliminating unemployment, women’s empowerment, plastic and thermacol ban are factors that inspire me to work.
- Any advice you would like to give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
Marketing is the most crucial aspect of a business. It is a simple process. One must have concentration in the business. Keep aside any negative attitude.
- Where do you procure raw materials for Areca Plate leaves? Can Tamil Nadu emerge as an important raw material base for the manufacture of Areca plates?
We get our raw materials from parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala such as Salem, Pollachi, Metupalayam, Valparai, Tumkur and Wayanad. There is definite scope for Tamil Nadu to be an important raw materials provider. If farmers are properly taught how to convert agricultural waste into value-added products, Tamil Nadu can emerge as a promising state for raw materials.