Deena Theresa By Express News Service KOCHI: It is of little wonder that the largest cottage industry in the state happens to be the coir industry. With coconut trees aligning our coast and an abundance of fibres extracted from the husk of the coconut which is further spun into yarn, the coir industry dates back to the 19th century. Alappuzha, considered the centre of the coir industry, saw a plethora of small enterprises wherein both men and women were engaged in production. As years went by, some of them thrived, keeping up with industrialisation and e-commerce. OnlyMats, the e-commerce wing of Travancore Cocotuft Private Limited in Cherthala, Alappuzha, which completed 100 years in 2017 in exporting coir, rubber and jute doormats, has stood the test of time. With the Coir Boards’ recent vision document to increase employment and increase export revenue, one can say that the vision of OnlyMats leads the pack with an employment of more than 600 people, while simultaneously supporting 1,500 families and shipping close to 1.2 crore pieces of mats and rugs annually to countries worldwide. Albeit, how did a small management enterprise thrive? The short answer: Innovation and the determination of the person-in-charge. “We made our end customers aware of doormats. Initially, they treated it just like a doormat, they wouldn’t understand why one has to spend money on a rug. Here is where DHL played a role. They primarily played a role in shipping doormats to our customers: About 1,500 containers are shipped per year. And DHL came on board as a partner about 10-15 years ago. The whole point of the e-commerce doormat website was to cut out middlemen. I feel the particular person-in-charge of the company at the time felt the strong need to diversify and do more. That made us stand out from the rest,” says Arjun Mahadevan, CEO of OnlyMats and the fifth generation-in-charge. The company started as a doormat supplier to The Dutch and English Coir Exporting companies based in Alappuzha in 1917. It was the second generation which expanded the company into exporting by procuring an export license, thereby paving the way for OnlyMats. Next, a manufacturing base was required. The third generation built the base which helped in the creation of a floor covering powerhouse. Here’s where the fourth generation came in and diversified into wall-to-wall carpeting and other sectors such as healthcare and education. After the above, when Arjun took over, he moved out into the internet realm, thereby expanding OnlyMat’s footprint online. With a focus on women employment, the company is also known to have one of the highest minimum wages in the country. Working along to the current rhythm of consumerism while taking care of its employees, OnlyMats, has indeed played the right cards. “Shooting single orders to direct customers around the world. Shipping to different places. Playing to the current market. Modernising traditional industry. If you can help newer brands and cater the best product to the final customer in the fastest time, that does it,” adds Arjun.

Stay updated with all the Latest Kochi headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.