Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
After spending decades exporting Indian textiles to high-end American fashion companies, New York businessman Mohan Shah got fed up with its constantly changing demands. He switched to organic foods, exporting quality cereals and spices from India to the United States. The man who initiated the export of “Bleeding Madras” cloth, which became almost a “uniform” of the Beetles and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi generation, wants to become the household name for organic foods in America and possibly give birth to the “Organic Chef Star.”
Today, Vedica Organics helps connect around 13,000 organic farmers in Andhra, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu with international consumers especially in the U.S. where the organics industry is growing exponentially, Shah told Desi Talk.
“I got fed up with the fashion business, the changes every day. So after 40 years, I thought, ‘what is this nonsense,'” with the erratic demands to match colors or styles. A friend of his in Mumbai who runs a non-governmental organization of farmers, encouraged him to transition to organic foods. The idea of being a social entrepreneur appeals to Shah. He could help the poor farmer in India who he said is being squeezed by the middle-man and some wrong government policies, and meet the changing tastes of Americans. The fledgling company just began turning the corner with a positive cash flow after a couple of years.
Today his company has around 25,000 customers from every state in the U.S. and daily fills around 400 to 500 orders of one or two packages of goods ranging from organic cumin to organic Basmati rice, teas, apricot ginger chutney, Punjabi rajma, sambhar and kadhi. Shah says being an exclusively organic products company and a one-stop-shop that offers free shipping, differentiates him from his American competitors.
“We believe in sourcing from small farm-holdings and most of the products that we formulate have been part of traditional Indian food, farming practices, and heritage for ages,” Shah says. And by providing an international marketplace for Indian small farmers’ products, he hopes to make organic farming a sustainable option in India and the products affordable in the U.S. Volunteers with the farmers’ NGO with whom Shah works, keep in close touch with farmers on the ground, visiting them and encouraging more farmers to go organic. “Our field workers are in every location and most of them are volunteers. We get all their support,” Shah said.
Currently, Shah is negotiating with chains like Whole Foods, Costco and Sam’s Club at the same time as he is building a factory in Bangalore where produce can be cleaned before export, alongside the current warehouse in New Jersey where products are sorted and shipped from.
Vedica Organics products are certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to the website by the same name. Shah told Desi Talk that at least 13 European companies operate in India to certify the produce shipped out as organic. “We get a ‘Transaction Certificate’ from the companies who check the produce and we have to be able to show that to anyone who asks for it at any time,” Shah notes.
Shah’s creative juices which he used to good effect in the fashion industry are holding him in good stead in the organics industry he says. “I like this business. It’s very creative, as creative as the fashion industry,” he said, adding, “Nowadays chefs are becoming stars. We’ll create an organic food star!” he predicted.
The post Creating a Niche for Indian Organic Foods in America appeared first on News India Times.
