Coimabatore: S. Geetha, a final year student of M.Sc. Food and Nutrition at Dr N. G. P. Arts and Science College, and a budding entrepreneur aims at improving people's health with hibiscus juice. She plans to get into mass production and mass selling her unique hibiscus juice.
Called 'HIBI petal juice', this has received certification from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, (FSSAI), Tamil Nadu and awaits clearance from the 'National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)'.
Made of ingredients like the hibiscus flower, lemon and cardamom, the juice is rich in iron and loaded with vitamins A and C and carbohydrates.
Powered with anti-oxidants, the juice is made up of 100 per cent natural ingredients without artificial flavors or coloring. Geetha recommends the juice for those suffering with diabetes, obesity and cardio-vascular diseases and disorders.
"The idea of preparing hibiscus juice came to my mind when I was pursuing my final year B.Sc. Food Science and Nutrition. I prepared this health juice for an inter-college contest and much to my surprise, the judges and those who tried it, enjoyed it," says 21-year old Geetha. While not revealing how she hit upon it, she now makes it on small scale in the kitchen at her home in Tirupur.
Hailing from a middle-class family, finding a way to manufacture, market and sell her product was a challenge. Monetary help and professional support came from Mr. Narasimhan, assistant professor, Computer Technology depar-tment, Dr N. G. P. Arts and Science College. The juice has found its way to a few stores in Kovai and in Tirupur.
