Over the past decade, Krishan Guptaa, Founder and Managing Director of Organic Wellness Products Private Limited had developed a feeling that the health and wellness of a majority of the population globally were on the wane, especially with chronic diseases on the rise that could place a greater healthcare burden, particularly in developing countries such as India. He had felt that there was a necessity to establish an organization that would place equal importance on employees, farmers, environment as well as the Company.
After becoming convinced of the fact that health and wellness would be an important focus among the global population in the coming decade, he had decided to set up a venture of his own that would focus on producing and selling authentic organic food products, health supplements and super foods that can play an important role in protecting the health and well-being of individuals. Keeping in line with his core belief that “Anything that is good for our forefathers is good for us too”, Krishan Guptaa says he is only carrying forward the age old tradition.
Prior to starting his venture, he had been in the corporate world serving multiple organizations in various capacities. Krishan Guptaa had subsequently felt that investing in a business that focuses on health and wellness could be an excellent opportunity for him to cater to the needs of individuals who are desperately seeking for ways to help them regain their health and overall well-being. The primary aim of starting the venture was to take the organic products to the masses by manufacturing and selling products that are healthy and free of any pesticides/insecticides.
The Inception
Organic Wellness Products Private Limited commenced its manufacturing operations in 2015 by selling authentic organic food products, health supplements and super foods that focus on the health and well-being of all individuals. Krishan Guptaa had been taking the lead and handling the entire operations of the Company’s manufacturing unit from the beginning, taking complete control over all the activities starting right from seed procurement, disbursement to farmers, manufacturing and packaging until distribution to the end consumers in order to ensure authenticity in the entire value chain.
Busting the Myth
At the time of setting up his business, Krishan Guptaa had been firmly of the opinion that consumers perceive organic food products to be healthy. Yet, he felt that a majority of the consumers widely believe that organic foods are expensive and that only people with increasing disposable incomes could afford to invest in organic food on a daily basis, while on the other hand he had felt that there is a group of people who perceive that selling of organic food products is just a fad and another strategy adopted by businesses to mint money.
Keeping in mind the different opinions held by various consumers, Krishan Guptaa had gone a step further to bust the myth about organic food products. The Company aims to educate the consumers to keep them informed about organic food products and their health benefits, including sharing details with them about the procurement and manufacturing process, including letting them know about how the Company has been ensuring complete quality control and traceability across the value chain.
Initial Challenges
Many challenges had arisen during the course of setting up of his business as well as its operations. One such challenge being the reluctance shown by banks to lend finance for setting up a plant/manufacturing facility in a remote village such as Babai in Bundelkhand region that had been faced with lack of power, water, skilled manpower, including little or no internet connectivity. Further, the Company had faced other challenges such as suspicion and a lack of trust shown by the people belonging to the area about the real purpose behind the Company setting up a plant in their village.
However, the Company had been able to overcome such challenges and has been able to not only run its operations profitably, but also reward other stakeholders across the entire value chain.
State of the Art Plant
Moreover, by establishing a modern State of the Art Manufacturing Plant in Babai village that is located in a remote area in Bundelkhand region about 40 kilometers away from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, he remains firmly committed to work with the marginalized farmers. He also feels that he has been able to do his bit to contain the exodus by young individuals to bigger cities in search of employment by providing employment to the local youth population in and around the village. He is extremely confident of earning the trust of the end consumers through the products sold by his Company. Moreover, all the activities such as processing, packaging, etc. has been happening at the Company’s own manufacturing unit.
List of Products Manufactured By the Company
The Company manufactures a range of organic products that offer plenty of health benefits. Apart from organic products, the Company has also been manufacturing Organic Health Supplements, Super foods such as Quinoa, Turmeric Powder, including ghee and edible oil, vegan chocolates of multiple varieties and a few more.
Some of the products of the Company contain unique features and they are as under:
Vegan Chocolates:
The Company prepares handmade Vegan Chocolates of multiple varieties with blends of super foods like Turmeric, Moringa, Ashwagandha and Chilli. Thus, consumers are able to enjoy the amazing taste that also comes loaded with plenty of health benefits. The primary ingredients used by the Company for making these chocolates are Organic Cocoa Powder and Organic Cocoa butter.
Sweeteners:
The Company has been producing various kinds of sweeteners that primarily focus on Raw Jaggery, Raw honey from wild bees, Raw Khand and Coconut Sugar, which the Company considers to be the safest options that offer the sweetness coupled with various health benefits.
Ghee/Edible Oils:
The Company has been producing these products by following the traditional process. Bilona ghee or cold pressed oils from the region of Bundelkhand are known for their unique taste and quality.
The Company has its own YouTube channel which can be visited by individuals to observe and understand the manner in which the products are being prepared. The link to the same is provided below.
https://www.youtube.com/c/OrganicWellnessProductsPrivateLimited/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0
Apart from these, the Company has been manufacturing several other products that prioritize the health and wellness of consumers, which are as under:
• Organic Teas & Tisanes Tea bags
The green tea bags offered by the Company are made up of recycled paper bags with very fine marginal lining of PPE. Attached thread is made of full cotton, as Plastic tea bags with Nylon threads are poisonous. Organic Tea is economical and is available at a low cost of just INR 2 per cup.
Additionally, the Company sells 24 different types of teas & infusions like Cinnamon Indian Rose, Tulsi Green Tea Classic, Om Shanti, Tulsi Indian Rose, Tulsi Moringa, Tulsi Brahmi, Cinnamon Cleanse, Cinnamon Digest, Mashallah Green Tea Classic, Tulsi lemon, Tulsi Sweet Neem, Tulsi Green Tea Premium, Tulsi Indian Rose, Tulsi Ginger, The Original Tulsi, Chamomile Tea, Tulsi Green Tea Saffron, Hibiscus, Ayush Kwath, Cinnamon Liquid Yoga, Darjeeling Green Tea and Licorice Tea.
• Organic Health Supplements
The Company is a pioneer when it comes to bringing a range of organic certified herbal supplements and all supplements are 100% vegetarian made from vegetable cellulose, which boost your fitness and overall wellness. The hygienically manufactured capsules offered by the Company are packed in a wealth of Ayurvedic herbs such as Giloy, Ashwagandha, Shatavari, Brahmi, Amla, Turmeric, Triphala, Moringa, Neem, Haritaki and Licorice. Additionally, the Company has also been manufacturing and selling capsules such as Joint Fit, Herbo Cal, Bowel Move, Skin Tone, Fat-Fit, Prostrate, Man- X, Miss-X, Breathe Well, Acne Never, Women Tone, Diabo – Fit, Heart Fit, Liv-Fit for curing various problems associated with the body.
• Super Foods
The list of super foods offered by the Company is plenty. Some of the super foods manufactured by the Company are Quinoa, Turmeric powder, Moringa powder, wheat grass powder, detox, Honey, Saffron, Amla powder, Chyawanprash, Gulkand, Coconut Sugar, Basil seeds, Almonds, Coconut milk powder, Flax seeds, Gond Katira, Health Full-On, Coconut Water powder and Apple Cider vinegar.
• Range of Spices
A range of spices manufactured by the Company include Tandoori Masala, Nutmeg, Red Chilli powder, Kutti Mirch, Green Cardamom, Ginger powder, Garam Masala, Fennel Seeds, Cumin, Coriander powder, Clove, Cinnamon, Chaat Masala, Black Pepper and Amchoor powder.
• Pulses and Grains
Kala Chana, Arhar dal, Panchratna, Masoor, Urad, Masoor, Matar, Chana dal, etc.
• Rice and Flour
Bundelkhand wheat atta, Bundelkhand Rice, Besan, Red Rice, Red Rice Atta and Quinoa Atta
Uniqueness of the Brand
Formulations for all kinds of products manufactured by the Company are based on late Dr. Narendra Singh’s extensive research done during his lifetime and this has eventually turned out to be main USP for the Company in the past few years. Dr. Narendra Singh had earlier headed the research on Ayurvedic herbals at KGMC & Institute of Ayurveda, Lucknow and had been involved with extensive clinical and experimental research on herbals and allopathic drugs for more than 50 years during his lifetime.
100% Local Workforce
This manufacturing unit has employed 100% local workforce, thereby offering people with a source of livelihood in the region. Krishan Guptaa states that barring the initial problems and challenges faced by the Company such as training the locals in production, the workers are in a position to operate and run machines as well as manage factory operations under distant supervision. Apart from offering employment to locals, the children of the employees have been attending school and the Company has been extending scholarships to deserving academically brilliant students.
Business Model
The Company’s business model has been unique. It has been working with the farmers directly, providing them with the seeds that they require for the cultivation of various crops. Apart from that, 10% of the Company’s profits are shared by it with the farmers as well as the employees. This has helped the Company to deliver a range of products at affordable prices to its consumers.
Building Strong Franchise Partnerships
The Company has been inviting individuals who are interested to start this business by offering them an opportunity to invest in this business by way of creation of exclusive stores/franchisees, particularly in smaller towns and cities, wherein, people would be able to operate at the comfort of their homes. This opportunity would be favourable for women homemakers in particular, who would have an opportunity to take the lead by undertaking this business and generate an additional source of income for their families. Currently, the Company has been able to successfully create over 70 stores across India and it has kept a target to open at least 5000 stores over the next 5 years.
Availability of Products
The Company’s diverse range of products are also available in various countries such as the United States of America, Canada, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, France, Australia, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Seychelles, Hong Kong, Mauritius, Nigeria, Ghana, Portugal, Vietnam, Taiwan, Dubai, UK, Spain, Finland, Russia, South Korea, Bangladesh. Currently, their products are being exported to over 28 countries across the globe.
Product Pricing
The Company had been able to price its products reasonably in the market. For instance, products such as Quinoa often termed as a super food is priced at just INR 399/kg as against the market price that happens to cost at least INR 1200/kg or more and the reason for the same being the absence of middlemen during the entire process.
Additionally, few more products such as Green Tea with 25 tea bags has been priced at INR 149/- as against the market price which costs around INR 175/- or even higher. While Health Supplements offered by the Company cost just INR 299/- for 90 veg capsules, these capsules are generally highly priced and are normally available in the market at a cost of INR 600/-.
The Way Forward
The Company intends to concentrate on replicating the Bundelkhand model and it has been busily exploring the opportunity of setting up new plants in villages of states such as Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, apart from considering the option of setting up a plant in the city of Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir. In the long run, Krishan Guptaa intends to set up at least one such plant in every state in the country.