Nilisha Ferrao is a first generation entrepreneur in the area of handcrafting cold pressed coconut oil, under the brand name Narla.
Nilisha and her family came up with the name of the brand that is derived from the Konkani word Narl for coconut and they were keen that the name connects to Goan origin. She also wanted to create a ‘Made in Goa’ product and felt that if other states like Kerala and Maharashtra could do it why not Goa?
She also realised that Goa as a state, was not utilising such a rich and valuable resource. “As my late maternal grandmother used to say ‘a coconut tree is like a son in the house.’ Each and every part of the tree can be used and benefitted from,” said the Navelim-based Nilisha.
Narla is cold pressed which means no external heat is used to extract the oil except natural sunlight and therefore maximum nutrients are retained. Narla is pure 100 per cent coconut oil, with no additives, preservatives, enhancers, fragrances, etc.
“My mission for the brand is to provide nourishing, healthy and natural solutions using local produce. And in turn motivate and encourage farmers by deriving value for their produce,” said Nilisha while speaking about the brand that was launched in January 2016.
The idea behind this initiative began when she was working in Bombay as a senior marketing manager at Godrej. “I used to give coconut oil to some of my friends to use. This oil was handcrafted at home with home grown coconuts and they simply loved it. They started telling me instances where their skin cleared up and other different uses and kept asking me for the next batch. I then started researching about coconut oil, which we have all grown up with but somehow forgotten or taken for granted. I learnt that pure and cold pressed coconut oil has so many benefits – skin care, hair care, dental care, infant care, weight loss, helps manage diabetes and is actually good for the heart!,” said Nilisha.
Sensing that there was a market for good quality and pure coconut oil in the country, Nilisha also realised that consumers are continuously on the lookout for a trusted source of oil in the market today where adulteration is rampant.
After relocating to Goa, Nilisha was convinced that coconut oil should regain its pride of place in kitchens, beauty shelves, medicine cabinets and cribs. She soon started talking to farmers who had coconut trees and started sourcing raw material from their village in Quepem and Canacona and then making the oil at home and her first batch was done in December 2015. “Everything was done personally and quality control given a topmost priority. Only the best quality coconuts are used and the oil is stored only in glass bottles which are eco-friendly, recyclable and reusable,” added Nilisha.
Narla has customers in Goa, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Pune and even tier 2 towns like Udaipur and Nagpur. “My mission is to encourage people to eat local and live a healthy nourishing life,” said Nilisha.
She is currently working on at creating awareness of the benefits of coconut oil for Mothers and Babies and speaks about how cold pressed coconut oil is an all natural healer and comforter, making it the go-to treatment for them world over.
