Reviving the era of palm, with a pinch of innovation

CHENNAI: Hailing from a community of palm climbers, Kannan has witnessed the cutting down of palm trees since his childhood. However, a major turning point occurred in 2021 when he questioned a landowner about why 30 trees had been cut. “They said there were no palm climbers to tap neera or harvest ice apples, so the fruits ripen on the tree. When these fruits fall, forest pigs come to eat them, and these pigs damage the cultivation land when they pass through,” says Kannan, founder of Palm Era.

After delving deeper into the issue, he understood the core problem: there is no industrialisation or standardisation of the palm economy. “This leads to low wages and migration of palm climbers to better jobs. I decided to start Palm Era to rebuild the palm economy,” he says.

Palm Era started making waves across Tamil Nadu after being featured on Startup Singam, a reality show promoting startup investments and growth. As people move towards a healthier lifestyle, and sugar reduction plays a major role in this shift, palm sugar is making a comeback with its moderate nutrient values.

For Kannan, there were only two motives behind the Palm Era. “Firstly, to boost the palm economy by promoting palm-based, value-added, low-glycemic superfoods that can help improve the healthy lifestyle of the next generation. This will ultimately create a demand for palm jaggery, leading to increased wages and improved livelihoods for palm climbers. Soon, palm trees will also be cultivated as a cash crop, like coconut trees,” he believes.

Some of the bestsellers include palm jaggery powder in the international market and Red Bliss, a blend of palm jaggery with red fruits and vegetables, in the Indian market. “Awareness among people about choosing low-glycemic foods has increased. Palm jaggery, being a natural sweetener with an earthy taste, can easily replace white sugar. Also, dietary fibre-rich palm sprouts powder is a highly rated option to reduce the glycemic load in the food they consume,” the founder adds.

To make a mark in the industry and set an example for others, 40 per cent of Palm Era’s sales are directed towards palm climbers, either as salaries or other benefits. “Mindful and sustainable working go hand in hand. We never use preservatives, additives, or any artificial agents in our products,” he shares.

Discussing the growth of the palm economy and the empowerment of the community, the 38-year-old states, “My ultimate goal is to boost the palm economy and see palm trees cultivated as cash crops instead of coconut trees. To date, we depend on other states for water for agriculture. Most of the water is used for paddy and sugarcane cultivation. Replacing sugarcane with sustainable palm trees can help increase farmers’ revenue tenfold, and it would be the best legacy we can leave for our next generation.” Palm Era aims to benefit 300 palm climbers in the next five years, blending tradition, innovation, and impact.