Organic dairy enterprise Akshayakalpa Organics is expanding its product portfolio by adding groceries soon. The company is providing a market linkage to its member farmers by sourcing the organic produce such as millets and pulses and market them under its own brand.
“Some of our dairy farmer members have been producing food grains and other products organically over the past several years. We are helping them to connect to markets by sourcing their produce and selling under our brand,” said Shashi Kumar, CEO and Co-Founder, Akshayakalpa Organics.
About 1,280 certified dairy farms mainly in parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are currently part of Akshayakalpa’s organic chain, while another 2,300 farms are under various stages of certification. About 1,500 farms are under certification in Karnataka, 300 in Tamil Nadu and 500 in the Shadnagar region of Telangana. These dairy farmers also grow various food products organically, whereas the volumes are not huge, he said.
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“We will be sourcing the organic produce from our farmer network, pack it and retail them through our supply chain,” Shashi Kumar said. Akshayakalpa sells organic milk and milk products and vegetables through its own supply chain in cities such as Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. Akshayakalpa’s organic grocery products that include pulses, rice, flour, millet, dry fruits and spices will also be available through the e-commerce platforms such as BigBasket, Blinkit, Swiggy, Zepto, Zomato and also through its retail dealers.
The company — which expects to commission a 40,000 litre per day milk processing in Chengalpattu (Tamil Nadu) by mid-December — has also entered Pune and Mumbai with its organic ghee, UHT milk and virgin coconut oil.
“Presently, we have some 15 different grocery products and we will slowly expand the range going forward,” he added. The grocery products are certified under NPOP (National Programme for Organic Production) standards by Aditi Organic Certifications, he said.
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Akshayakalpa Organics, which clocked revenues of ₹195 crore in fiscal 2022-23 is eyeing a topline of ₹320 crore in the current fiscal. The company expects less than 5 per cent of its revenues to come from organic groceries this year. Investors in Akshayakalpa include Lok Capital, Venture Dairy, British International Investment and Rainmatter Foundation.