From farm to home

Madhusudhan and his wife were travelling back from Tamil Nadu when they saw a vegetable vendor washing carrots with drainage water. Shocked at the sight, they stopped to find out why he was doing so. Upon enquiring, Madhusudhan understood that the farm this vegetable came from was also being watered with drainage water.

This shocking revelation led to a strong decision  — to grow vegetables and eat only at places they knew where the produce was sourced from. Thus began the journey of ‘Back2Basics’, an organic farm that offers home delivery services.

With the sedentary lifestyle that one leads these days, many are trying to pursue a healthy way of living. While many vegetable markets and vendors are available in the city, the consumers aren’t aware of where their produce comes from. Even by changing one’s diet to a vegetarian one, many are falling sick because the produce isn’t fresh.

Jyothi Rajesh, an entrepreneur and blogger, orders from an online organic vendor called ‘FirstArgo’ twice a month. She says, “I’m happy to place my order and buy from an online store like this because they assure good produce. I can also get my hands on items like baby carrots and cherry tomatoes without paying an exorbitant amount. I know that the produce is fresh because it tastes better and when you cut into it, the colours seem lush.”

Many others in the city are also offering similar option. You place your order and within a day or two, this fresh produce will be delivered at your doorstep. The convenience factor is also helping these vegetable vendors earn the trust of the customers.

Amar J, a co-producer at ‘Farm Direct Express’, is happy to be a part of the venture. They deliver vegetables throughout Bengaluru and have their farms within 50 km of the city. He says, “We have a total of 31 farms in areas like Singapura, Kanakapura Road, Nelamangala, Hosakote and more. Our main aim is to deliver fresh produce and bring back the joy of eating fresh vegetables.”

They also use robots that roll around in their farms to remove weeds. “It’s quite difficult to get labourers these days so we use technology  as much as we can. Taking inspiration from a Japanese farmer — Masanobu Fukuoka — we believe in offering organic products and use water efficiently,” he adds.

The farm to doorstep vendors are making things quite easy for Bengalureans.
By making their production line transparent, eliminating the middleman and giving reasonable price points, they are winning hearts all over the city.

Bhairavi Madhusudhan, the idea cultivator of ‘Back2Basics’, says, “We cultivate about 90 varieties of fruits, vegetables and greens in the four commercial farms we have in rural Bengaluru and close to the Tamil Nadu border. We control the entire supply chain and grow all our produce ourselves. To give one an experience of how our farm works, we also have an experiential farm that anyone can visit.”

By changing the way one looks at food and bringing back those lush and plump vegetables (reminiscent of old times), Bengalureans can be healthy once again.
“My father would always say that people buy their footwear in air-conditioned showrooms whereas they buy vegetables from footpaths.

We hope to question that so that one would be open to eating from a clean environment and stay healthy too,” points out Bhairavi.