Kerala CA wants exotic fruits in diet, grows 80 pineapple varieties on rooftop, orchard in backyard

Begola, Medusa and Sealash; these outlandish varieties of pineapple now grow in pots, not on land but on a 200 sq ft rooftop of a Thrissur man’s home. Franco Joseph, the 56-year-old Chartered Accountant, has turned his home into an orchard of fruit species, both rare and regular, including 80 varieties of pineapple, all growing in pots on the terrace at Kuttur.

“I lived in Dubai for 20 years with my wife. As part of a healthier lifestyle, we began incorporating more fruits into our diet,” Franco said. “There, we had access to exotic varieties. However, once we settled in Kerala, that was no longer the case. That’s when we thought of having our own fruit garden where we could grow and eat fruits that are fresh, organic and chemical-free,” he added.

Franco’s journey began with fruits such as guava, jackfruit, bananas, and berries. “Two years ago, I thought, why not pineapples. The markets typically offer only two main varieties. But I wanted more. I joined multiple WhatsApp groups and traced down collectors. Initially, the varieties were hard to come by, as most collectors would only exchange if I had something they wanted. It was a real challenge cause I was just a beginner and I did not have many varieties at hand yet.”

Today, Franco’s terrace boasts around 80 pineapple varieties from across India and the world, including Brazil, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Nigeria, Thailand, Australia, and the Philippines, all tropical regions where pineapples thrive. These plants, each occupying just over a square foot, are all grown in pots. Maintaining them, Franco says, is very simple. “I just spend 10 minutes every morning checking that there’s no waterlogging. Once a month, I apply organic manure, a mixture of dried cow dung, bone meal, and groundnut cake.”

“Through years of research, I have extensively studied the fruit. 90% of them come under the categories Queen, Abacaxi, Smooth Cayenne, and Red Spanish. I also try to protect and preserve the dying varieties in Kerala,” Franco said. Some of his collection includes varieties such as the Koonthani Pineapple, Mango Pineapple, African Sugarloaf, which is known to be one of the sweetest in the world, Begola, a giant variety weighing up to 12 kg, Ananas Mutation noted for its long leaves, Medusa Pineapple, which grows over 100 miniature pineapples on a single fruit, Red Dragon, with its distinctive pinkish-red hue, and the Sealash Pineapple, which is extremely sweet to taste.

“While most people assume that planting the crown of a pineapple is the best method, using suckers and slips is far better. They flower in nine months and are ready for harvest in three. But the crown will take over 20 months.” Instead of selling the fruits, which are costly due to the high investment in rare varieties, Franco sells saplings. “When I started, no one was willing to sell their rare varieties. That’s why I now sell saplings so others can build their own collections. The money I make goes right back into expanding mine.”

And it’s not just pineapples. Behind his home, Franco has 10 varieties of banana, 30 of guava, 11 of water apple, 10 of cherry, and 11 of orange, all within 60 cents of land. The taller trees like banana and jackfruit stand at the rear, mid-sized plants in the middle, and potted varieties in front. This is arranged in such a way that all the plants will receive the perfect amount of sunlight.

Having shifted to work-from-home with a Thrissur-based group, Franco now has the time at hand to manage the farm. “I get nearly 150 calls a day from people seeking advice, wanting to buy saplings, or asking about my methods. I handle everything from marketing, communication, issue resolution, and courier arrangements,” he says.

Supporting him throughout this journey are his wife, Bindu Franco, the English Head of Department at Dev Matha School, and their daughter, a medical student.