Nutriorg, an organic brand established in the year 2015. It builds up its raw materials and retail its products through organic food chains like Foodhall, Godrej’s Natures’ Basket, Le Marche and Lulu Supermarkets, making it a brand that is retailed across the country and has won several accolades for its work. It also gave an alternative living to the women from a remote village in Rajasthan. In a quick chat Karan Singh Tomar- Founder & Director- Nutriorg shares their USP, ideas behind it, their future plan and lots more.
Expresso: When the idea Nutriorg came to you first? When you were seventeen years old what was your dream? Do you always want to be an entrepreneur?
Karan Singh Tomar: The idea was seeded in my mind precisely 9 years back, with a holistic idea to providing the customers’ with best nutritional and organic products which are cultivated only through organic practice. Initially, I had joined my father, in our family business at the age of 16 wherein I gathered a good 20 years’ experience in like textile, jewellery, handicraft, and engineering field. But I wanted to be an entrepreneur right from start and do something of my own to provide people with an alternative lifestyle which was healthy and wholesome.
Amla farms
Expresso: What is the USP that keeps you separate from others?
Karan Singh Tomar: We believe in offering good quality products to our customer and never compromise on quality parameters. The USP for Rattan Organic Foods (manufacturers of Nutriorg) is that we have our own farmland location in Rajasthan where we grow most of the organic raw material which is required to manufacture our products. This way we have complete control over the process and ensuring quality.
Expresso: Coming up with new products now and then for the customers! Where you get these ideas from?
Karan Singh Tomar: We are completely into dietary health segment which covers most of the product range. I also do my own research as to what product are good for customer health. Through my extensive research whenever I discover something new I would like to ensure it reaches the consumers who are equally conscious of their health and are looking out for a product like this, this motivates me to launch it immediately. Before, we launch a product we ensure it is backed by research.
Amla cleaning
Expresso: You also gave an alternative living to the women from a remote village in Rajasthan as what’s the thought process behind that?
Karan Singh Tomar: When we decided to use eco-friendly ways to irrigate our barren piece of land in the remote village hamlet which was majority women population as the menfolk had migrated out of the city in search of work. This left the women in search for basic livelihood and was difficult for them to make ends meet which motivated, after seeing their plight to employ them and give them a chance to become financially independent and giving us a chance to create a small change by empowering them both socially and economically. As we believe to bring about a change its essential to get women into the process of change as their participation makes it meaningful.
Expresso: What were the challenges you faced when you were providing employment opportunities to women? And how did you overcame it?
Karan Singh Tomar: The biggest challenge we faced was to create a safe and hygienic work environment for them. Today we have 90% of our workforce which comprises of women. As in the Indian society, it is still a major stigma for women to go out and work, unlike men, breaking this mentality in our villages will not be an easy task but certainly, we are working towards bringing about this change one step at a time.
Expresso: What kind of sustainable process do you use?
Karan Singh Tomar: We use drip irrigation (an Israeli technique) to cultivate our organic farms. Besides this, the water that we use for washing the raw material is directly channelled through our groundwater storage system back into the farms where the water is used for cultivation again. We do not use any chemical-based sprays and manure in our farms which have ensured we have complete control over the organic process which is eco-friendly and sustainable.
Expresso: Tell me how this changed you over the years?
Karan Singh Tomar: While I am involved in the process I take upon myself this as a responsibility to ensure that I can offer products which are safe, healthy to use since healthy living is everyone’s right. For the past 5-6 years, I am guiding our farmers to actively do organic farming which is sustainable for their farms too. This will certainly increase their incomes and provide them with a better life too.
Expresso: Tell me about your future plans?
Karan Singh Tomar: As of now my future plan is to spread my vision of an organic way of life towards the length and breadth of the country and simultaneously generate both more business and more customers who will appreciate our honest efforts.
Expresso: How was your experience setting up the full startup in the retailing segment in a large country like ours?
Karan Singh Tomar: Retailing our products throughout the country has certainly been challenging but we have made ourselves present both through online retailers and offline retail channels through brick and mortar organic stores throughout the country. In future, we also plan to start with our own retail food chains stores.
