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Meet This Assistant Professor Who Became Mushroom Lady Of Haryana, Now Clocks Rs 9 Lakhs in Monthly Revenue From Mushroom Farming

Founded in 2020 by Haryana-based professors Sonia Dahiya and Vijay Dahiya, the Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm produces nearly 10 tonnes of mushrooms every month. It clocks a monthly revenue of Rs 9 lakhs.

By Naina Yadav
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 Sonia Dahiya - Owner At Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm

Sonia Dahiya - Owner At Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm

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“You have a well-paying stable career and your kids are doing well. Why do you want an extra headache?” 

This was one of the first things that Sonia Dahiya’s family and friends told her when she decided to start mushroom farming along with her husband.

But the skepticism did not rattle her. She was sure that she wanted to do something of her own and a farming venture seemed like the best option. 

Fast forward to 2024, Sonia’s decision has paid off. 

Located in Sonipat, Haryana, the Doctor Dahiya Farm produces a monthly output of 9 to 10 tonnes of mushrooms, generates stable employment for close to twenty women in the nearby villages, and clocks a monthly revenue of Rs 9 lakhs.

“We spent months on trial-and-error, stayed patient, invested money, did more research, and finally started seeing results. I feel like if we had given up early, we wouldn't have made it this far,” says Sonia Dahiya, in an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia.

Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm
Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm

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HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Sonia Dahiya is an assistant professor at the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology at Sonipat. 

She did her Master's in Biochemistry and completed her PhD in Biotechnology. 

Sonia Dahiya’s husband is Vijay Dahiya, an associate mathematics professor at Maharaja Surajmal Institute in Delhi.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and a nationwide lockdown was imposed, the couple began working from home and conducting virtual classes. 

“Despite the online classes, we had a lot of free time on our hands. It felt like the perfect opportunity to start our own venture. We didn't have to look any further because I already had a lot of academic experience in the field of biotechnology,” Sonia Dahiya tells Startup Pedia.

“We decided to start our farming venture and mushrooms seemed like a good option,” she adds. 

What followed was relentless research that Sonia and Vijay conducted through sources like Google and YouTube. They would spend hours every day understanding mushroom cultivation, absorbing the basics of it, and taking notes. 

“Our families are either in teaching or government jobs. So we didn't have anyone to consult. In fact, they did not approve of our idea and thought we were just troubling ourselves unnecessarily. Nonetheless, the venture began as a collective result of our research,” Sonia shares. 

In 2020 itself, Sonia Dahiya and Vijay Dahiya began the Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm.

Mushroom Production

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EARLY JOURNEY AND HICCUPS

Farming entrepreneurs Sonia Dahiya and Vijay Dahiya invested Rs 40 lakhs from their savings. 

“At the very outset, we knew we wanted to make it big. We were comfortable investing that kind of money and knew that it was important. We also received a subsidy from the Horticulture Department of our state,” Sonia Dahiya tells Startup Pedia. 

With the money they invested, the couple set up two growing rooms for mushroom farming. They also hired a few people to help them with the production process. 

Sonia procured mushroom spawns from HAIC Mushroom and Agricultural Development Center in Sonipat. She then set up 5,600 mushroom bags in the two rooms. 

But things weren't smooth and certain obstacles came up. 

First, the two growing rooms weren't producing a continuous output flow of mushrooms. 

“This gap wasn't very viable for us. We weren't making any significant profits from these two rooms either,” founder Sonia Dahiya explains. 

Apart from that, the compost they were purchasing from the market wasn't yielding the kind of results they had expected. 

The farming entrepreneurs decided to set up a compost unit on their own. That decision cost them Rs 20 lakhs.

“The result was great. We no longer had to spend money buying compost from the market. Plus we had more control now. The kind of compost we were getting from our unit was significantly better than the market one. Our mushroom output also witnessed positive change,” says Sonia. 

By 2022, the farming entrepreneurs had set up two more growing rooms for the mushrooms and expanded significantly. Primarily, they sold their mushrooms wholesale in Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi. 

Eventually, they started getting requests for consultancy from people around them. The farming entrepreneurs helped set up about ten mushroom farms from scratch for a nominal consultancy fee of Rs 10,000.

Mushroom Farming

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DOCTOR DAHIYA MUSHROOM FARM

Presently, Sonia and Vijay Dahiya’s farming venture produces close to 10 tonnes (10,000 kilograms) of mushrooms every single month. 

While mushroom rates keep fluctuating for farmers, they sell at wholesale rates in Delhi's Azadpur Mandi. 

Additionally, the farming entrepreneurs have numerous direct customers who purchase about 50 kilograms of mushrooms from the farm every day. 

They also fulfill the regular requirements of caterers, cooks, small restaurants, dhabas, and marriage banquet halls. 

Apart from button mushrooms, the Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm offers exotic mushrooms like portobello, oyster, and milky mushrooms. However, they need to be ordered in advance. 

“We don't heavily market our products. All our direct customers come to us from positive word-of-mouth publicity that happens because of the quality and taste of the mushrooms we offer,” Sonia Dahiya explains.

Mushroom Lady of Haryana

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MUSHROOM LADY OF HARYANA

Popularly known as the Mushroom Lady of Haryana, Sonia Dahiya is a strong advocate of women's financial independence and social standing. 

Through her mushroom farming venture, she employs ten women permanently. Fifteen others work on a contractual level and earn a daily wage.

“Paying salaries to these women and helping them become financially independent is one of the most fulfilling parts of my farming venture. Some of these women have even sent their children to English medium schools simply because of stable earnings that Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm has been able to provide them with,” the mushroom farming entrepreneur shares with Startup Pedia.

Women Empowerment

Sonia Dahiya believes that there's a social rent that each person owes to society. 

“If you have taken care of your needs, maybe it's time for you to also look at how you can impact society. It could be a very small effort too, that doesn't matter. But your social rent should get paid off,” she emphasizes.

The Mushroom Lady of Haryana also has a word of advice for young people. 

“Start as early as you can. The more you utilize your potential, the faster you'll reach where you want to be. Ventures like mine aren't very difficult to start and are a great option for someone who doesn't want to do a full-time job,” Sonia Dahiya adds. 

To help budding farming entrepreneurs and students, Sonia and Vijay provide regular mushroom training and consultancy workshops. These programmes cover every aspect of button mushroom farming like spawn procurement, cultivation processes, and compost methodology.

 Sonia Dahiya and Vijay Dahiya
Sonia Dahiya and Vijay Dahiya

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GROWTH AND WAY FORWARD

The Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm produces close to 10 tonnes of mushrooms every month. 

On average, the mushroom farming venture clocks a revenue of Rs 9 lakhs every month.

After deducting running costs like electricity, salaries, production expenses, marketing, and transportation, the net profit every month varies from Rs 80,000 to Rs 2 lakhs.

“The profit really depends on the kind of expenses we had to incur during the month.” Sonia Dahiya tells Startup Pedia. 

In the next two years, the farming entrepreneurs envision a growth in their profit figures. 

Sonia and Vijay also plan on increasingly focusing their energies on the field of training and consultancy. They want to set up a robust process where they can fulfill inquiries coming in from farms, schools, and colleges across India.

Additionally, the farming entrepreneurs will scale Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm to start producing varieties of mushrooms other than the button mushrooms that they currently grow. 

“All of this will happen in the next two to three years, and we are very excited to see what is in store for us. As farming entrepreneurs, we really want the awareness about mushrooms to grow in India,” Sonia Dahiya signs off.

Sonia Dahiya

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FAQ

When was Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm founded?
The Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm was founded in 2020.
Who is the founder of Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm?
The Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm was founded by Haryana-based professors Sonia Dahiya and Vijay Dahiya.
What does Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm sell?
Primarily, the Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm sells button mushrooms. It also offers exotic mushrooms like portobello, oyster, and milky mushrooms. But they need to be ordered in advance.
What is the revenue of Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm?
The Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm clocks a revenue of Rs 9 lakhs every month. The net profit every month varies from Rs 80,000 to Rs 2 lakhs.