It was a jovial remark from a friend — “There are three things that will never go out of business: roti , kapada and makan ” — that set Aastha Bajaj thinking. The seeds of this idea germinated to become Ancient India Organics, a pioneering enterprise that promotes organic food in the city.
Established in 2012 in Seethammadhara, the enterprise started with just 50 customers; today, the company exports organic grains and spices to Europe, the US, Egypt and China. When she started her entrepreneurial journey, there was not much awareness about organic food in Visakhapatnam. Initially, Aastha and her team hosted several awareness programmes to familiarise people with the concept of organic food and its benefits.
The price-sensitive market was a hard nut to crack. “People laughed at my idea and said that traders put the tag of organic just to charge exorbitant prices,” says the 33-year-old native of Chandigarh who moved here in 2005.
Winds of change
However, over the years, people have started looking for healthier food options. “The rise of lifestyle-related ailments has made people realise the importance of healthy eating,” she says. Over the years, several stand-alone stores dedicated to organic food products have been established and supermarkets now promote organic food with special dedicated sections. “In the initial years, we supplied to many local stores before we withdrew,” says Aastha.
It took two years of hard work to make her presence felt in the international market. Backing her research with a formal degree, Aastha completed Organic Leadership Course from The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements in 2013.
- The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India introduced a logo for organic food, that will help customers identify authentic food.
- The ‘Jaivik Bharat’ logo is meant to distinguish organic products from non-organic ones.
- It was launched after several complaints about fake organic food being sold in the market.
- The logo has been jointly developed by the FSSAI in collaboration with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority and Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
Carving a niche
Currently, Ancient India Organics supplies turmeric, ginger, tea, hibiscus and coconut to several countries. However, Aastha says that India is far from matching the standards of Europe and the US. “As an agriculture-dominant country, we have the potential to rule the world. However, lack of infrastructure and aid make it hard for farmers to adopt organic farming.” According to Aastha, most of the producers who have the potential to take Indian produce to global market would rather emphasise quantity over quality as they believe that would fetch them more money. “It takes three years for a farm to be certified as organic. Those years are about more investment and fewer returns. Not every farmer is ready to deal with that.” To ensure that the products her company deals with are organic and match international standards Aastha and her team conduct frequent checks at the farms they deal with. “The farms undergo a four-level inspection at different phases of plant growth. The first is done during the sowing season, followed by initial plant growth, blooming phase and the harvest. Apart from this, we also have hygiene and safety checks.”
With the world waking up to the benefits of organically grown food products, Aastha is upbeat on expanding her footprint to several parts of Europe.
