We have long wondered what our brand philosophy should be. Local, Organic, Pure is what we have stood for since the launch of the store in November 2021. We have only now starting saying it out Loud & Clear. You have seen it in our cartons and labels that we ship to you in the recent months.
Organic
My ex-employer ITC acquired 24 Mantra Organic last month. Tata acquired Organic India last year. Big businesses have begun to realize the importance of including organic brands in their portfolio. Things are heating up!
I do not sense an urgency in state or central government policies yet though. We do not need to take any knee-jerk reaction like Sri Lanka did.
India has a rich and diverse agricultural heritage. We are in the right position to set the right example for the rest of the world. I hope governments start taking more policy initiatives in the near future.
Ever since 2018, we have been committed to organic and regenerative agriculture at our farm. We initiated Organic Certification in 2022. We believe we are exceeding standards set by organic certification standards. Minimum tillage is one of those actions that we are extremely proud of.
We are committed to growing the organic farmers and patrons community. So, we support organic farmers exclusively via the farm shop and online store since 2021. We hope we inspire youngsters to take up agribusiness as a vocation.
Pure
Adulteration in Ghee, Paneer, Coconut Oil and more local produce is becoming rampant. Price and cost pressures are making small and mid sized business turn to unethical business practices. As customers, we need to stop demanding low prices and start demanding top quality produce.
Because we are a small brand, we are able to monitor our partner farmers processes regularly. The list of ingredients mentioned in product pages on the store is all that is present in what you buy.
We have not needed to add any synthetic preservatives to our produce. This is because the distance our produce travels from the producer to customer is very low. The only intermediary between the producer and you is the shop at our farm.
Local
A lot of new-age young brands are emphasizing the need for organic and pure food. Those our values of food that we definitely must stand for, as a modern society. Growth-at-all-costs strategy is getting businesses to scale up faster than they should. Most large organic brands that have a pan-India reach diversify their procurement from several states. This ensures that customers have a wide variety of produce to choose from. But, Localness is missing from most of the brands’ philosophies. We need several strong regional brands rather than national grocery brands.
Local crops need local agricultural techniques and a healthy local soil micro biome. Local crops consume lesser groundwater because they have evolved in arid conditions that most of Tamil Nadu has. For example : Palmyra tree produces so much abundance without demanding much in exchange from humans.
I believe that promoting local produce and food cultures is easier because they are deeply entrenched in our psyche. Local markets promoting local produce reduces transport costs and environmental footprint.
We believe Localness is the muscle that we need to flex as a society. It is important for food and agricultural systems to go local. That is the only way to battle modern problems of climate change, groundwater depletion and soil health collapse. This is why we started out with honouring only local farmers and local artisans from the launch of the store.
Regional brands like ours are more capable to do justice to the Gandhian vision for modern Indian society. Swaraj is not really possible if we have to scour the globe for customers to sell local produce to. I am of the opinion that regional producers with local markets of patrons are the future leaders of the economy.
We’re proud to stand for Local, Organic, Pure.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on our philosophy.
Let us know what you think in the comments!
Regards
Sudhakar