Let’s get into the journey of Thirukumaran
“Labour is priceless, not gold” – Mahatma Gandhi
According to Subramaniya Bharathiyar, if an individual does not have food, we have to destroy Jagat(world) but such food should be provided with quality says Thirukumaran, who runs oil plant in Udayarpalayam, Ariyalur District. Thirukumaran, who runs an oil plant called Aurora Oil, left his job at Vodafone and set up his own oil plant with the idea of bringing quality oil to the masses. He produces coconut oil, ground nut oil, Gingelly oil (sesame oil). He also sells coconuts through natural sugar and coconuts.
RAW MATERIALS AND PRODUCTION:
Naturally prepared groundnuts, sesame, jaggery, coconut are their raw materials. Thirukumaran, who has been producing pure oil with three workmen, will add workers as needed during the festive season. He pays more attention to the fact that the oil should not be produced with any synthetic and chemical substances. Due to this he was able to bring traditional taste and color in his products. He avoids artificial substances for oil production in which he uses jaggery instead of milajas in the production of sesame oil and uses matured coconuts instead of Sulphur in the production of Coconut.
PRICE AND QUALITY:
They sell one litre of ground nut oil for Rs 260, one litre of sesame oil for Rs 350, one litre of Coconut oil for Rs 300 and natural sugar for Rs 60 per kg. to ensure the quality, he buys the best raw materials for the production and that’s why they price seems to be high, says Thirukumaran. The price of a bundle of sesame is from eight thousand to nine thousand. Jaggery costs Rs 60 per kg, which varies from Rs 70 to 80 during the rainy season. And the high cost of the coconut is the main reason for the increase for the price of other products.
DEVELOPMENT OF AURORA OIL:
When Thirukumaran started the company, he sold quality oil at a very cheap price, which caused him huge losses. When it was the situation to make decision, in which they had to decrease the quality of the product otherwise they should increase the amount of the products, he chose to increase the cost. He was confident that his products should be of good quality even if they reach less people. He then started to provide advertising pamphlets with the newspapers, and has now started a page called Aurora Oil Mill on Facebook. He also initially sold his products across Tamil Nadu through a parcel company called Praveen Travels. But the travel agency has suspended the parcel service due to the liquid state of oil in which that would breakdown during transportation. And no company came forward for oil transportation. So, he is selling his products in the surrounding areas. Thirukumaran says his father also helps him take care of his sales outlets.
EXPANSION PLAN:
This pandemic has affected Thirukumaran’s business, in which he was earning up to Rs 1 lakh per month before the pandemic. Despite this, Thirukumaran is confident of taking his business to the next level. Thirukumaran says he packs coconut oil in small bas of 50ml and sells it to nearby stores in his area, depending on the need and he always wants to sell the best quality to people.