Najeeba, the Coconut Oil Maker

Asiyath Najeeba, 56 years old, recipient of the prestigious Rehendhi Award & National Award is a seamstress turned locally-sourced coconut oil maker.

Najeeba started making coconut oil when the pandemic was at its peak, during lockdown, as she had to find a way to earn money so she could pay the workers of her sewing business and make the rent at the shop.

After a lot of trial and error, through research and watching Youtube videos, and with the help of her children, she started “Kauti Thele”. Najeeba also noted that while there are several coconut oil products on the market by local vendors, most of them are unscented. Najeeba offers a range of infused coconut oil with natural extracts, including vanilla, cinnamon, cherry, apple, rose, jasmine and many more.

Some of these flowers she uses to scent her coconut oil, such as jasmine and rose, she grows in her own garden.

The name “Kauti thele” is a homage to her birth island of G Dh Thinadhoo from which she sources her coconuts in addition to other island across the country.

Making coconut oil, especially at home without machinery, is time-consuming and labor-intensive, but the end-product is well-worth it. It takes nearly two weeks, including cooking, sun-drying, mechanical refining and infusing, to make one bottle of coconut oil from fresh coconuts. One of the biggest issues she faces is having not enough space to produce and store the coconut oil.

Kauti products are already being sold in resorts and to local customers, and Najeeba hopes to expand her products to Duty Free soon as well. When asked about her packaging, she says that she will soon switch to glass bottles from plastic.

Her biggest victory is from repeat customers who buys her product regularly. She said that she would like to thank her family and all of her loyal customers who have supported her business.

Najeeba says that entrepreneurship doesn’t have any age limit. You can start at any age and just follow your passion. Success will eventually follow hard work and authenticity. At age 56, Najeeba says that she is trying something completely different. As scary as it is, the challenge is very exciting for her and keeps pushing her creative bounds.

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