June 25, 2021
Sajan Raj Kurup, an entrepreneur, has founded Saintfarm, an end-to-end e-commerce enterprise focused on organic and sustainable food
Saintfarm’s major goal is to grow and sell organic fruit for consumers.
Sajan Raj Kurup, an entrepreneur, has founded Saintfarm Agro LLP, an end-to-end e-commerce enterprise focused on organic and sustainable food. The company is involved in organic farming, processing, agri-tech, RnD, exports, and online retailing.
Saintfarm sells fresh organic farm products such as fruits, vegetables, pulses, honey, and cow ghee on its online channel in India’s major cities. There are currently 258 different organic product categories available for sale.
Saintfarm was founded with a $2-$3 million initial investment when Kurup acquired the decade-old Ahmedabad-based Arpit Organic, founded by Nehal Shah, in 2019. It should be emphasized that Shah is the chief operating officer (COO) of Saintfarm and still has minority ownership in Arpit Organic.
Kurup, who created the marketing firm CreativeLand Asia and the alternative investment vehicle Ventureland Asia, has spent the previous few years focused on the integration of Saintfarm’s businesses.
Kurup acquired organic property, trained organic farm producers, established organic food processing and packaging units, developed apiaries, established a supply network, and published an app across the country to begin Saintfarm’s operations.
The primary focus of Saintfarm is the production and sale of organic products. Farming facilities have been established over agricultural areas in, Ahmedabad, Anand, Boriyavi, Nadiyad, Reengus, Khatu and Nashik.
“At present, our supply chain covers more than 650 farmers in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and the Northeast growing organic ingredients like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, spices to fruits, vegetables and herbs across. The farms, products, and facilities are certified for EU, USDA NOP, and Indian NPOP standards,” the company said in a statement.
“Saintfarm aims to bring together around 15,000 farmers from across the nation in the next two years,” it added.
In addition, the company has established its first organic processing unit in Ahmedabad, in accordance with USDA, European, and Indian organic standards. The company’s operation can handle up to 240 MT of flours, dals, and pulses each year.
“Saintfarm intends to establish comparable processing operations in Mumbai, Jaipur, Bengaluru, and Delhi NCR in the near future in order to fulfill the increased demand over the next two years. By the end of 2023, the company’s processing unit capacity will have increased to at least 1000MT per year,” the company said.
Saintfarm has also established its own apiaries in order to produce pure honey. There are currently three apiaries located around North India, with more apiaries set to open in the next spring.
The company’s primary focus is on R&D operations. Its methodology entails partnering with and mobilizing farmers, as well as training them in organic agriculture. “Saintfarm’s team of agronomists and field personnel work directly with farmers, assuring total control over seed, soil, farming, and harvesting, as well as adopting global best practices in organic food production,” the business stated.
It has made significant investments in developing a digital ecosystem and an end-to-end channel to smoothly transport agricultural produce to the end consumer.
“Saintfarm has been a lot of hard work for two years of being connected to the earth and putting together an ecosystem of food that is really required today,” said Sajan Raj Kurup.
“The pandemic has just increased my desire to spend more in the food industry. With Saintfarm, I hope to make organic more cheap and popular across the length and width of this large country, as well as to make a big contribution to the global organic movement. “We took a smart business decision to invest in our own Agri-tech infrastructure,” he continued.
“The founding architecture of Saintfarm is built on three tenets. Respect for the earth on which we work. Farmers should be respected because they work the land. And reverence for the crops that we cultivate. I really feel that organic and sustainable living is a right that everyone must exercise, not just a choice.”
“I have been in the organic sector for over 12 years, and I was seeking a like-minded person who is also very passionate about organic farming and environmental consciousness” said Kurup’s venture partner, Nehal Shah.
“I met Raj Kurup and presented my vision for organic farming and food with him. At the end of our meeting, I knew I had met someone who shared my vision and who can scale this up. We decided to chase our dream together and make it come true,” he added.