KOCHI: At a time when everyone looks down on the general education system, students of a government school in Ernakulam district have bagged global recognition. The team of four grabbed the admiration and notice of the world by presenting a business concept that would help filter coffee lovers indulge in their favourite drink without having to visit a coffee shop. Sowndaryaa Lakshmi V, Elisha Aenorie Kaduthose, Dimpal V and Sivanandana K B, Class 12 students of Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Ernakulam, bagged the most popular choice at the TiE Global student pitch competition.
“The team was one of the eight from the country to present their business idea at the TiE Global which is held in the US,” said Bijumon P S, in charge of the student entrepreneurship programme at the school, adding that four teams had presented their ideas at the TiE Kerala competition. “These students presented ‘Kaapiphil’, which allows filter coffee to get packaged in a capsule,” said Bijumon.Elaborating on how they arrived at the product design, team leader Sowndaryaa said, “The entrepreneurship bug bit us when TiE Kerala conducted a mentoring programme at the school. We also wanted to come up with a business of our own.” It was then that they were told about the competition, added Sowndaryaa.
“We arrived at the idea after a lot of research. We saw a video of tea leaves compressed into a tiny ball and used to infuse a cup of steaming beverage. This was an organic method and didn’t use any paper or other materials,” she said. So the students began extensive research to see whether any such thing has been done with coffee. “We didn’t find any travel-friendly coffee product. Everything was either in a bottle or a sachet. A capsule would be handy and could be carried in a purse. Also, the problem of generating waste doesn’t arise. The idea is to compress the filter coffee into a capsule with cassava covering. The covering will protect the coffee from moisture and gives it a definitive shape.”
According to the students, at present, the product shows a shelf life of three months. “We tested all probabilities and found this to be a very good business idea,” said Sowndaryaa adding the logo of the product has been submitted for trademark licensing. “After completing Class 12, we will be turning our business idea into a full-fledged venture,” Sowndaryaa added.