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Bangalore based producers and suppliers of naturally grown food
More than 90 varieties vegetables, fruits and greens grown naturally without any use of chemicals surely taste best and available at a very competitive price! Hard to believe? These are sold under the brand ‘Back2Basics’, a name gaining popularity at a very rapid pace in Bangalore. It is an initiative of father-daughter determined to serve healthy nutritious food on the consumer plate directly from their farmlands. Both of them left their corporate jobs and are proud farmers today.
Mr. Madhusudhan, a self trained farmer started farming in early 2010. He founded Moholoholo Farms. He learnt farming while working on his farm with some help from internet, books and agricultural professors. With absolutely no farming background he was successful in producing bountiful farm produce because his farming practices were in alliance with the nature. Later his daughter, Ms. Bhairavi Madhusudhan too quit her job and joined the business. She started taking care of finance and marketing of business. The total area under cultivation is 180 acres on the outskirts of Bangalore, Karnataka. Company has 80% open cultivation and remaining 20% is under protected cultivation especially for exotic veggies like colored bell pepper, Chinese cabbage, different lettuce varieties etc.
Primarily company deals in exports and B2B segment. Many products are exported to European countries and Singapore. Within the country products are widely sold to ecommerce websites, national retailers and 45 organic stores in Bangalore. “90% of our produce cater to exports and B2B. However, recently in February 2016 we have stepped in B2C category with delivery to customer door step within Bangalore. The response received is overwhelming. In the span of 10 months we are able to make 48 hour delivery to 40 pincodes across the city. We are serving 200 families everyday and our 89% orders are from repeat customers,” proudly shares Ms. Bhairavi.
Farmlands have been deteriorated with years of chemical use. “Therefore after any new land procurement we take minimum two years to commence the commercial production. We grow legumes and nuts for nitrogen fixation. Then we treat the soil with cow dung slurry to resume fertility. Next we start growing different crops in small batches to check the suitability of soil and water to that particular crop. Besides to enhance the water level we install rainwater harvesting systems. Only after we are self-reliant from all aspects of farming we begin the commercial cultivation,” shares Mr. Madhusudhan.
Company exclusively uses cow dung slurry, poultry waste and oil cakes made from neem and sesame as manure in its fields. “To safeguard the crops from pest or diseases we have developed our own formulations using natural herbs. Further we believe in taking preventive measures therefore before cultivation every sapling is treated with neem oil to improve its resistance,” he adds. Cow dung and urine is procured from Gou Ashram on a barter system in exchange of green waste generated after harvesting sweetcorn in the farm. The ashram is run by the Shri Ramachandrapura Mutt. It is dedicated to look after indigenous cows, and houses old and disabled cows which are unfit for work.
Seeds initially were procured from reliable sources from India and outside India but now all the seeds are maintained and preserved at the company’s seed bank itself. “We have protected native varieties of tomato and gourds,” he asserts.
Speaking of production schedule Mr. Madhusudhan elaborates, “We grow sister crops simultaneously in the fields. It implies these two crops absorb different nutrients from the soil hence grow well. For example American sweetcorn and Yelaki banana are sister crops, planted at the same time though the harvesting is done in different months.” After harvesting of every crop/cycle, nitrogen fixation is done in the soil and later it is allowed to rest for some time without any cultivation.
Product pricing of all the products at back2basics is competitive. Ms. Bhairavi highlights, “We have intentionally kept our product prices reasonable and viable compared with the retail prices of inorganic products available in the local market. We want to offer best quality of food on customers’ platter. Besides we are able to keep this pricing because it is produced in our farms and directly supplied to end-buyers. There is no middleman involved.”
Sharing future plans Ms. Bhairavi says, “We want to scale our operations to other parts of city and other metros. We are working on logistics.”
Mr. Madhusudhan concludes, “Natural farming without any use of chemicals is not a new thing. Farmers know about it very well but they diverted because of two constraints. They lack the financial resources and exposure to sell their farm produce at the price they deserve. Infact we have learnt a lot from them on growing food organically. We could excel because we took it up as business and there myself and Bhairavis’s corporate experience helped us largely.”
“Lastly it is very contending to see our hard work creating an impact in the society which we missed to observe in our corporate lives. We are learning so much everyday! It is nothing like working for yourself and staying near to your family,” she signs off.
Contact details:
Back 2 Basics
Muthkur, Karnataka 560067
Mobile: +919980032345
Email: customerservice@back2basics
More than 90 varieties vegetables, fruits and greens grown naturally without any use of chemicals surely taste best and available at a very competitive price! Hard to believe? These are sold under the brand ‘Back2Basics’, a name gaining popularity at a very rapid pace in Bangalore. It is an initiative of father-daughter determined to serve healthy nutritious food on the consumer plate directly from their farmlands. Both of them left their corporate jobs and are proud farmers today.
Mr. Madhusudhan, a self trained farmer started farming in early 2010. He founded Moholoholo Farms. He learnt farming while working on his farm with some help from internet, books and agricultural professors. With absolutely no farming background he was successful in producing bountiful farm produce because his farming practices were in alliance with the nature. Later his daughter, Ms. Bhairavi Madhusudhan too quit her job and joined the business. She started taking care of finance and marketing of business. The total area under cultivation is 180 acres on the outskirts of Bangalore, Karnataka. Company has 80% open cultivation and remaining 20% is under protected cultivation especially for exotic veggies like colored bell pepper, Chinese cabbage, different lettuce varieties etc.
Primarily company deals in exports and B2B segment. Many products are exported to European countries and Singapore. Within the country products are widely sold to ecommerce websites, national retailers and 45 organic stores in Bangalore. “90% of our produce cater to exports and B2B. However, recently in February 2016 we have stepped in B2C category with delivery to customer door step within Bangalore. The response received is overwhelming. In the span of 10 months we are able to make 48 hour delivery to 40 pincodes across the city. We are serving 200 families everyday and our 89% orders are from repeat customers,” proudly shares Ms. Bhairavi.
Farmlands have been deteriorated with years of chemical use. “Therefore after any new land procurement we take minimum two years to commence the commercial production. We grow legumes and nuts for nitrogen fixation. Then we treat the soil with cow dung slurry to resume fertility. Next we start growing different crops in small batches to check the suitability of soil and water to that particular crop. Besides to enhance the water level we install rainwater harvesting systems. Only after we are self-reliant from all aspects of farming we begin the commercial cultivation,” shares Mr. Madhusudhan.
Company exclusively uses cow dung slurry, poultry waste and oil cakes made from neem and sesame as manure in its fields. “To safeguard the crops from pest or diseases we have developed our own formulations using natural herbs. Further we believe in taking preventive measures therefore before cultivation every sapling is treated with neem oil to improve its resistance,” he adds. Cow dung and urine is procured from Gou Ashram on a barter system in exchange of green waste generated after harvesting sweetcorn in the farm. The ashram is run by the Shri Ramachandrapura Mutt. It is dedicated to look after indigenous cows, and houses old and disabled cows which are unfit for work.
Seeds initially were procured from reliable sources from India and outside India but now all the seeds are maintained and preserved at the company’s seed bank itself. “We have protected native varieties of tomato and gourds,” he asserts.
Speaking of production schedule Mr. Madhusudhan elaborates, “We grow sister crops simultaneously in the fields. It implies these two crops absorb different nutrients from the soil hence grow well. For example American sweetcorn and Yelaki banana are sister crops, planted at the same time though the harvesting is done in different months.” After harvesting of every crop/cycle, nitrogen fixation is done in the soil and later it is allowed to rest for some time without any cultivation.
Product pricing of all the products at back2basics is competitive. Ms. Bhairavi highlights, “We have intentionally kept our product prices reasonable and viable compared with the retail prices of inorganic products available in the local market. We want to offer best quality of food on customers’ platter. Besides we are able to keep this pricing because it is produced in our farms and directly supplied to end-buyers. There is no middleman involved.”
Sharing future plans Ms. Bhairavi says, “We want to scale our operations to other parts of city and other metros. We are working on logistics.”
Mr. Madhusudhan concludes, “Natural farming without any use of chemicals is not a new thing. Farmers know about it very well but they diverted because of two constraints. They lack the financial resources and exposure to sell their farm produce at the price they deserve. Infact we have learnt a lot from them on growing food organically. We could excel because we took it up as business and there myself and Bhairavis’s corporate experience helped us largely.”
“Lastly it is very contending to see our hard work creating an impact in the society which we missed to observe in our corporate lives. We are learning so much everyday! It is nothing like working for yourself and staying near to your family,” she signs off.
Contact details:
Back 2 Basics
Muthkur, Karnataka 560067
Mobile: +919980032345
Email: customerservice@back2basics