THENI: In the heart of Theni, where emerald betel leaves blanket the landscape, a remarkable transformation has taken root. This is the story of S Renuga, a 38-year-old agricultural labourer, who with relentless innovation, turned a humble leaf of tradition into a trendy, health-conscious beverage. Her journey from farmhand to entrepreneur is a testament to perseverance, culminating in her being named the Best Entrepreneur Award by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in 2025.<\/p>\n
For generations, the betel leaf has been a staple of Indian culture, gracing religious ceremonies and serving as a symbol of hospitality. It\u2019s a plant known for its medicinal properties. Grandmothers often prescribe a betel leaf \u2018kashayam\u2019 for coughs and colds. Yet, for many, its value remained confined to these traditional roles. <\/p>\n
Renuga, who grew up in the farming village of Sivapuram, had a different idea. Faced with the challenges of raising two daughters on a meagre income, Renuga, who had only studied up to the seventh grade, believed her life was destined for physical labour. But in 2023, an opportunity changed everything. She attended a Front-Line Demonstration (FLD) training on food processing, licensing, and marketing, a programme that was a true \u2018eye-opener.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI am uneducated, and I believed I could only do physical work. The training made me realise there was more I could do with the resources around me,\u201d she recalled. Recognising the untapped potential of the betel leaf, she began experimenting with a multipurpose food processing machine provided by KVK. Her trial runs at the end of 2023 quickly showed promise, boosting her confidence and paving the way for a bigger venture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"THENI: In the heart of Theni, where emerald betel leaves blanket the landscape, a remarkable transformation has taken…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49201,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[35791,19572,103,61,60,371,35792,35793],"class_list":{"0":"post-49200","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-betel-leaf","9":"tag-beverage","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-medication","14":"tag-s-renuga","15":"tag-sugar-free-soda"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}