Siddhant and Sarthak Mehrotra, two ambitious farmers and brothers, from Ramnagar, India have turned their visionary ideas into a business. The Mehrotra brothers were no strangers to the agricultural challenges their region faced. Hailing from a family with a background in electronics, they decided to venture into something new, something that would blend their entrepreneurial spirit with the changing dynamics of the agriculture sector.
Conversations with their friends in the hotel industry, especially those operating around the Corbett National Park, sparked an idea. The hotels frequently faced shortages in mushroom supplies for their kitchens, prompting the brothers to explore the possibility of setting up a mushroom production unit.
'State-of-the-art facilities'
With NHB's assistance, the brothers established their mushroom production unit in early 2023 under the name M/s Vardhman Agro. The unit was equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and technology, including climate-controlled rooms and automated systems for optimal growth conditions. This ensured a consistent supply of high-quality mushrooms that would meet the growing demand from local hotels, restaurants, and markets.
Despite the high operational costs, which included expenses like bank EMIs, raw materials, and labor, the brothers managed to generate a net income of Rs. 76 lakhs (USD 91,750) in their first year of full-scale production. The success was not just financial but also a testament to the viability and sustainability of mushroom farming as an alternative, high-value crop in the region.
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