Pon Vayal · பொன் வயல் · The Sustainable Company
Wood-pressed oils, the slow, honest way.
Coconut, groundnut and sesame oils, slow-pressed in a wooden chekku. Solvent-free, unrefined, straight from the farm.
- No hexane or chemical refining
- Solar-dried, never chemically dried
- Sourced directly from farms
What we make
Four honest things, made well
Everything we sell starts on a farm and stays close to its natural state. No shortcuts, no chemistry it doesn't need.
Cold-Pressed Oils
Wood-pressed coconut, groundnut and sesame (nallennai) oils, unrefined, full of their own aroma.
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Flours & Batter
Freshly milled wheat and rice flours, plus ready idli–dosa batter ground in small batches.
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Sustainable Packaging
Reusable carry bags woven from banana, cotton and bamboo fibre, made to replace plastic.
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Oil-Cake / Punnakku
The cake left after pressing, a protein-rich, natural feed for cattle and a garden fertiliser.
Learn moreA note in good faith: our unrefined groundnut oil is not suitable for people with a peanut allergy, and our oil-cake (punnakku) animal feed should be kept dry to stay safe. You'll find the full details on each product page.
Paddy country in Tamil Nadu, the landscape we buy from
The marachekku method
Pressed in wood, the way it was always done
“Marachekku” simply means wooden press. Our oils are made in a traditional South-Indian chekku (ghani), a wooden mortar and pestle that slowly crushes the seed, historically turned by bullocks and today by a slow motor. It is one of the oldest oil-pressing methods in India.
Because the seed is pressed mechanically, the oil never meets hexane or other chemical solvents, and it skips the high-heat refining, bleaching and deodorising that commodity oils go through. What you get is unrefined oil that still carries its own colour, aroma and character.
From farm to bottle
Three things we refuse to rush
Solar-dried, not chemically dried
We dry copra, groundnut and sesame using the sun and protected solar drying, keeping them off bare soil and away from chemical drying agents. Good drying is also how we keep mould (and aflatoxin) at bay.
Cold-pressed & unrefined
Slow wood-pressing, then simple settling and filtering. No solvent extraction, no refining chemistry, just oil, the way the seed gives it.
Direct from the farmer
Buying straight from farms means fresher seed, a clear trail back to the field, and more of the price reaching the people who grow it.
Why “The Sustainable Company”
A little less waste, with every order
Sustainability isn't a label we printed on a box. It runs through how we source, press, pack and reuse, closing the loop wherever we can.
Plastic-free by design
Our carry bags are woven from banana, cotton and bamboo fibre, reusable, plant-based and made to replace single-use plastic bags.
Nothing wasted
The cake left after pressing (punnakku) becomes protein-rich cattle feed and natural fertiliser, so the whole seed has a purpose.
Rooted in real farms
Short, direct supply chains mean less transit, fresher produce, and a fairer, steadier deal for the farmers we work with.
A service, not just a shelf
Bring your own seeds. We'll press them.
Our mill isn't only for our own oils. Bring your coconut, groundnut or sesame and we'll cold-press it for you in the same wooden chekku, so you can watch your own oil being made, with nothing added.
- Custom (job-work) pressing
- Solar drying support
Going international
We support export and bulk enquiries for our oils, flours and natural-fibre packaging. Tell us your destination and quantity, and we'll work out documentation, packing and shipping with you.
Start an export enquiryFrom the journal
Learn before you buy
Plain-spoken guides on oils, milling and living with less plastic, researched and written without the hype.
What is marachekku (wood-pressed) oil?
How the wooden chekku works, what “cold-pressed” really means, and how to spot the genuine article.
Wood-pressed vs refined oil: the real difference
Solvent extraction, refining, smoke points and flavour, an honest, side-by-side comparison.
Natural-fibre bags vs plastic: what actually helps
When a cotton, banana or bamboo bag truly beats plastic, and the greenwashing to watch for.
Taste the difference
Ready to bring home oil that still smells like the seed?
Order our oils and flours, request a wholesale or export quote, or just ask us anything about how it's made.