FarmDidi Services: From Her Kitchen to Yours
Year: 2021
Founders: Manjari Sharma, Anukrit Johari, Asmita Ghodeshwar
Funding: Rs.1.76 crore (Rs.1 crore from Shark Tank India Season 3, Rs.1.33 crore from IIM Calcutta Angels, remainder bootstrapped)
Investors: Vineeta Singh, Peyush Bansal, IIM Calcutta Angels, Upaya Social Ventures, MeitY Startup Hub
Introduction
FarmDidi Services Pvt. Ltd. is a social business venture that came into existence in 2021 and has its headquarters in Pune, Maharashtra. FarmDidi aims at enabling rural women to become entrepreneurs by making it feasible for them to do so. FarmDidi trains women about functional food production, quality control, and entrepreneurship through partnership with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). The company offers various homemade, 100% natural, preservative-free items, i.e., chutneys, papads, and pickles, made through traditional recipes. These traditional rural flavors are made available to customers throughout the nation through various mediums, i.e., their site, Amazon, and Flipkart.
Tackling Agricultural Challenges
Indian women in rural areas are confronted by high economic obstacles, such as restricted market access and restricted ability to capitalize on traditional cooking expertise. FarmDidi overcomes this by empowering women with food safety, hygiene, and business knowledge, thus enabling them to produce quality items acceptable by the market. By taking these women to consumers directly, FarmDidi not only empowers them financially but enables India’s culinary diversity to survive.
Key Offerings
- Training Programs: Empower rural women with skills in hygienic food production, quality control, and entrepreneurship.
- Diverse Product Range: Over 20 natural, preservative-free homemade products, including Mango, Lemon, and Chilli pickles, papads, and chutneys.
- Raw Material Supply & Production: Supply raw material and enable production by Self-Help Group (SHG) operated community kitchens.
- Packaging & Distribution: Execute packaging, marketing and multi-channel sales through e-commerce websites such as Amazon and Flipkart and retail collaborations.
Real Impact
Since its inception, FarmDidi has collaborated with more than 150 Self-Help Groups, empowering the lives of more than 1,800 rural women, commonly referred to as “Didis,” in 80 villages across the state of Maharashtra. Today, the women are educated in producing food and managing business, hence improved income levels and higher financial independence. The innovative social entrepreneurship practice by the company has been recognized by reknowned institutions including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Wharton Economic Forum, and India’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
Success Story
One such Didi, Savita from a village near Pune, transformed her livelihood after joining FarmDidi’s training programs. With new skills in hygienic production and quality control, she began making traditional mango pickles that met high safety standards.By accessing FarmDidi’s support for raw materials, packaging, and marketing, Savita now sells her products online and through retail partners. Her monthly income doubled, allowing her to support her family and invest in her children’s education. Stories like Savita’s highlight how rural women’s empowerment through traditional food entrepreneurship can create sustainable socio-economic change.
Lessons for Agri-Startups
FarmDidi’s journey offers important lessons for AgriTech startups and social enterprises focused on rural empowerment:
- Skill-Building Empowers: Providing training in hygiene and business management is essential to improve product quality and prepare rural entrepreneurs for the market.
- Direct Consumer Linkages Matter: Connecting producers directly with consumers helps preserve traditional food heritage while creating sustainable income streams.
- Leverage Grassroots Partnerships: Collaborating closely with Self-Help Groups and NGOs builds trust and enables effective scaling at the community level.
- Adopt Multi-Channel Marketing: Combining online e-commerce platforms with offline retail partnerships maximizes market reach and sales opportunities.
- Value Recognition & Collaboration: Earning support from development organizations validates impact efforts and opens pathways for future growth and credibility.
Stay Informed with Focus Agritech
FarmDidi is more than a social enterprise—it’s a movement preserving traditional food craftsmanship while financially empowering rural women. Stay updated with Focus Agritech—
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