A Tampa man hopes to sell a new kind of sandal that will use materials from his family's farm in India.



Prem Thomas was visiting family in India when he stumbled upon something that would change the course of his career.

“I was in a furniture store and I discovered these really ancient sandals. They’re over 5,000 years old,” said Thomas.

Thomas’ 100-year-old grandfather remembers wearing Paduka sandals as a kid, but Thomas and his friend thought they could improve the wooden design, while doing good at the same time.

The duo came up with Gurus, a 100 percent natural and biodegradable sandal that comes from a tree.

Since the style came from Thomas’ heritage, he figured the substance should too. The company will source the rubber used to make Gurus from his family’s rubber farms in India.

“Growing up on trips back to India we would always check out the rubber farm, even make small basketballs and balls,” said Thomas. “We source the rubber from trees. So you tap a tree kind of like maple syrup, and the rubber is collected daily. Eventually it becomes our sandals.”

After they take a natural resource from the farm, Gurus plans to give it right back.

The company will plant a tree for every pair of sandals sold.

“If we plant a million trees, we’ll be planting a forest in India,” said Thomas.

Thomas' dream isn’t a reality just yet. Gurus launched a month-long Kickstarter campaign to pay for the molds the company needs to launch the line. Their goal is $12,000.

Thomas’ plan is to grow the company into something his hometown can be proud of.