Akshata Sharma
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Deepak Sabharwal, a man of numbers and precision, balanced his corporate life at General Electric with farming in Pushkar, Rajasthan. After two years, a life-changing event altered his path forever.
One unfateful day, Deepak's mother was diagnosed with cancer. The news hit him hard, but what shook him even more was the realisation that the pesticides he was using on his farm might be contributing to ill health of people consuming those crops.
"It shocked me to realise that I was putting poison into the soil, which ended up in our food. I couldn't continue harming people and the environment," said the founder of Earthy Tales during the exclusive conversation with Startup Pedia.
He destroyed his chemically grown crops and searched for organic alternatives, travelling to organic farms in Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
In 2018, Earthy Tales was founded as a direct-to-consumer digital platform focusing on natural, clean, and organic food.
Deepak, the founder, aimed to build trust through a farm-to-fork model, ensuring transparency and quality.
The Delhi-based startup collaborated with farmers, providing training and support for organic farming certification.
Initially, Deepak relied on word-of-mouth to grow the customer base.
The COVID-19 pandemic increased demand for organic products. Earthy Tales has expanded across India by partnering with e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart and D2C companies to sell non-perishable items.
Initially starting with fruits and vegetables, Earthy Tales has expanded to offer over 400 products across 15 food categories.
Transitioning to organic farming was a tough decision for Deepak. Despite facing scepticism, he was supported by his family.
Organic farming presents challenges such as lower yields and pest attacks. Deepak believes that natural farming focuses on long-term solutions. He also highlighted the demand and supply gap for organic products.
Earthy Tales operates from NCR Dwarka with a team of 20 members. Around 25% of its staff are women. The company focuses on sustainability by recycling, using brown paper for packaging, and involving the community in its sustainability efforts. In their customer referral model, they plant a tree for customers instead of providing cashback.
The revenue from operations increased from Rs 1.2 Cr in FY21 to Rs 4.0 Cr in FY24. The agri-startup expects to end FY25 with an annual run rate (ARR) of Rs 8-10 crores.
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