49. Vaani VetriKo

Company: Neitiv

Website: https://neitiv.uk/

Business: A food innovation company reconnecting modern society to its natural roots – reintroducing indigenous and eco-friendly produces.

 

About Vaani and Neitiv

Vaani VetriKo is an entrepreneur on a mission to bring natural, indigenous and eco-friendly products from across the world into modern day use. Her startup Neitiv, founded in 2019, is focused on reviving and renewing ancient beverages and products in the hope of inspiring a more ethical and mindful way of life – one which nurtures appreciation for our earth and nature.

It all started when Neitiv and her husband (Keeran) decided to revive an ancient Tamil drink called ‘Callu’ (Coconut Flower Wine) four years ago. Callu is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world, made by nature, with the help of bees and often enjoyed by rural communities in tropical countries.

 

Neitiv-beer

 

The research and development work for Neitiv began in early 2019, and entailed visiting coconut farms to seek partners to collaborate with and also better understand the complex product the founders wanted to source. After selecting a partner located in Kerala, India, Neitiv and her husband then developed a process for harvesting and fermenting the coconut flower drops in a controlled environment.

Developing the best system to harvest their key product took nearly two years of research, being a highly delicate, natural ingredient, which is reactive to light, heat and time of harvest. Once Vaani and her husband were able to successfully transport the flower drops to the UK, they then began working with local food labs to develop their first product, Coconut Flower Beer.

Vaani comments in an interview with TechRound “We faced challenges at every stage, as a start-up, we had to rely on our savings, so for the past three years, we have been investing in our company. Even before we registered our company we wanted to ensure Coconut Flower Drops was a tangible product that can be made – therefore we invested in the initial R&D with our partners in India. Once it was confirmed, we then undertook the work of starting Neitiv and resigned from our regular jobs.”

Neitiy have recently been selected for the Global Incubator Programme that was launched in Singapore, with the collaboration of Innovate UK. This programme will help Vaani and Keeran to launch their product in Asia next year too.

 

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