When Mohandas P, a former Indian Army official from Thiruvananthapuram, struggled to find skilled coconut climbers, he decided to learn the task himself using a climbing machine. Fifteen years later, his venture ‘Hello Nariyal’ has transformed traditional coconut harvesting into an organised, on-demand service backed by digital support.

The initiative has now drawn national attention, with Mahindra group chairman Anand Mahindra sharing a video of a Hello Nariyal worker servicing a household in Kasaragod. The clip shows a uniformed professional arriving on a bicycle, equipped with modern tools and completing the task efficiently.

Sharing the video on X, Mahindra noted how even hyperlocal services in Kerala are being digitised, adding that aspirations today are finding expression not just in heavy industry, but also in tech-enabled services.

Meanwhile, Mohandas says he never imagined such expansion when he started. Faced with a severe labour shortage at his own farm of around 450 coconut trees, so much so that harvesting was stalled for nearly two years, he first trained himself and then began teaching others. With little interest from locals, he turned to migrant workers.

“Retaining them posed another challenge, prompting me to seek work beyond my farm by approaching nearby households directly," says Mohandas. What began as a necessity gradually grew into a structured service network.

The brand ‘Hello Nariyal’ was formalised four years into the venture, followed by the launch of a website. Today, the service has expanded across Kerala with 13 branches, most of them in Thiruvananthapuram. The business saw a major boost after the COVID-19 pandemic when his children and their partners joined in and began managing franchises.

Operating within a 25 km radius of each branch, the service now follows a customer-request model. Workers travel by bicycle or scooter in hilly areas and can handle over 100 trees a day. Each branch employs between 10 and 30 workers, primarily from Chhattisgarh. The charge stands at ₹60 per tree, a modest increase from the initial ₹40 when the venture began.

"Employees earn between ₹30,000 and ₹70,000 a month. Beyond plucking coconuts, they also undertake leaf cutting, crown cleaning and ensure the safety of surrounding plants, making the process efficient even in densely populated residential areas," Mohandas, 60, added.

Alongside organised ventures like Hello Nariyal, individual service providers are also emerging in Kerala. Antony, a 63-year-old businessman from Palluruthy in Ernakulam, turned to coconut climbing after his tourism business declined during the pandemic. Now primarily engaged in woodcutting, he takes up coconut harvesting on demand, sourcing clients through his website and phone contacts. "Mechanisation has made the job easier, but a lack of willingness among people to take up such work continues to be a concern," he says.

Despite initial resistance from his family, Antony found support from his daughters, who helped him set up his online presence. “The sector is facing a clear labour shortage despite offering decent earnings. The key is to ensure proper safety measures. I used to work for actor Dileep and singer Sithara Krishnakumar,” Antony adds.