Every entrepreneur has a story. Anyone with the wherewithal and acumen to start a business had to have something click at some point - a moment when they saw an unrecognized market opportunity and the perfect product or service to fill that gap. For Tommy Matthew, this moment came from watching villagers in India tie their cows up with rope made from coir.

Tommy went on to found Natura Fibretech in his hometown of Bangalore - a company essentially based around taking a material commonplace to India's BoP and popularizing it in the national construction and housing sectors. Indians have for generations used coir (a fiber made from coconuts) in practical items such as doormats, rope and even mattresses.


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