These Made in India organic food brands are on a mission against additives and preservatives
COVID-19 led a lot of people to realise the importance of choosing healthier options. According to a report by IMARC, the Indian organic market is projected to witness “strong growth during next five years”.
The coronavirus pandemic helped a lot of people to realise the importance of choosing healthier options. Organic foods — often seen as a healthier option for the body and a kinder one for the environment — have seen exponential growth over the past few years.
According to a report by IMARC, the Indian organic food market reached a value of $815 million in 2020, and is projected to witness “strong growth during next five years”.
SMBStory curated a list of a few brands that are making a mark in the Indian market.
24 Mantra Organic
N. Balasubramanian, CEO & Director, Sresta Natural Bioproducts Pvt Ltd
Founded in 2004, Hyderabad-based Organic, under Sresta Natural Bioproducts Pvt. Ltd, was launched by Rajashekhar Reddy Seelam to bring an organic food brand free of toxic chemicals to the Indian market.
In 2008, the brand introduced itself to the market with 150 products, including cereals like pulses and rice, flour, spices, and more.
The brand directly works with the farmers and sources agricultural produce from them. This helps the business ensure the farmer community is compensated fairly with a focus on their sustainability and standard of living. 24 Mantra Organics has built a community of 45,000 farmers across 15 states, including Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, etc.
Additionally, the brand is not only prominent domestically but also has an international presence, selling to about 50 countries.
Agronic Food
Siddharth Sancheti, Director, Agronic Food Pvt. Ltd.
According to Siddharth Sancheti, consuming organic and sustainable food is the first step in leading a healthy life. This compelled him to launch Jodhpur-based in 2009, along with his brother Mohnish Sancheti.
The brand produces a range of organically grown products including spices, herbs, grains, cereals, flours, cold-pressed oils, and more. The company works alongside 40,000 farmers to produce organic food right from the stage of training.
Siddharth claims that this farm-to-fork business model helps in achieving a high degree of control and also arriving at fairer price methods.
This year, the 150-employee organisation is expecting a Rs 40 crore turnover.
Tiny Spoons
Dharmesh Ratanghayra, Founder, Tiny Spoons
Mumbai-based organic baby food brand Tiny Spoons was started by chartered accountant Dharmesh Ratanghayra in 2018 after he and his wife Manisha Sharma failed to find organic fruit purees for their baby in India.
Tiny Spoons’ purees are made from plums and prunes, and blueberries, apples, bananas, and strawberries, and cost Rs 160 for a packet of 120 grams. The company claims that its purees have no additional and harmful preservatives.
In July 2019, Tiny Spoons raised Rs 2 crore from angel investors, including Anil Joshi, Managing Partner of Unicorn India Ventures; Paresh Kariya, an early-stage investor in Naaptol; Drums International HNI investor Harsha Vijay; Vivek Shah, Managing Director, IB, at Haitong Securities, and others.
The Little Farm Co
Niharika Bhargava, Founder, The Little Farm Co.
In 2016, Delhi-based The Little Farm Co. was started by Niharika Bhargava, who is on a mission against packaged products that are filled with additives and preservatives.
The Little Farm offers pickles, superfoods, like flax and chia seeds, and marmalades using the produce from their own land. The employees at the production unit are mostly women from the socio-economically disadvantaged section of the society.
The company also partners with NGOs in the neighbourhood that work towards empowering women, helping them develop recipes and make the products.
At present, The Little Farm only sells through speciality stores and niche stores like , Place of Origin, Engrave, , Flavours of My City, The Neemrana Shop, Dastkar, and .
According to Niharika, the brand sells 70 units on a daily basis.
Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta