This Couple Quit Their Successful IT Jobs in Bengaluru to Grow Affordable Organic Food on Their Ancestral Land in Kanpur

Organic food is no longer just a lifestyle choice. With rising pollution in our food, water, and air, it’s slowly becoming a necessity. While metro cities today do have access to organic products, the prices often make them feel out of reach for most people.

That's where Tuhi Farms steps in.

Four years ago, Ankur and Rashmi Sachan left Bengaluru and returned to Kanpur with a simple idea: grow chemical-free organic vegetables and fruits at prices people can actually afford.

Tuhi Farms delivers fresh organic produce directly to your home at 20-30% above market rates, significantly cheaper than conventional organic brands. Today, their affordable organic farming model is reaching customers across multiple cities, proving that sustainable organic agriculture doesn't have to drain your wallet.

About Founders' Background

Mr. Ankur and Mrs. Rashmi Sachan both come from engineering backgrounds. Ankur pursued software engineering and completed his graduation from NIT Warangal. 

He went on to work with companies like Flipkart, SAP, and IBM. Rashmi, on the other hand, studied mechanical engineering and worked in the oil and gas sector for nearly a decade.

They were both settled in Bengaluru, leading stable professional lives, when the second wave of COVID-19 changed everything. During that time, they decided to return to their hometown, Kanpur. 

The Origin Story of Tuhi Farms

When Rashmi returned to Kanpur in 2021 on maternity leave, she watched the world shut down around her due to the impact of COVID.

That’s when things shifted. Rashmi came across the concept of Miyawaki forests, the idea of growing your own ecosystem. 

She wanted to create one on her family’s ancestral land in Kanpur. Her father-in-law had ideas to help make it happen, but he passed away before they could start.

Instead of giving up, Ankur and Rashmi saw it as a sign. If COVID could shut everything down, maybe they needed their own source of food, water, and safety, a place where they could survive without depending on anyone else.

Neither of them had farming experience. They didn’t know where to start. For months, they attended workshops, learned from farmers, and made mistakes. 

Rashmi discovered she had a natural gift for growing things. Ankur brought vision and determination.

Six months of planning. One clear goal: create a space that could sustain them completely. 

“Our idea was to build a space where, if something like COVID happens again, you have somewhere to go. A place where you have your own food, clean water, and air. A space that can sustain you,” Ankur shared with Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.

The Agroforestry Model

The farm is located in Chaturi Purwa village in Kanpur, on ancestral land that has been in the family for years. While they own close to 15 acres in total, they began working on just 5.5 acres. 

This allowed them to experiment, learn, and build slowly without taking on too much risk.

They started by planting papaya, guava, mango, amla, pomegranate, and mosambi, along with seasonal crops like wheat, turmeric, and mustard. 

In the very first year, they planted over 500 trees, combining fruit-bearing varieties with forest trees. 

Today, the farm has around 30 to 35 different varieties of trees, including 10 to 15 fruit-bearing ones.

Production is still in its early stages and varies by crop. From half an acre of turmeric, they harvested around 20 quintals in raw form, which reduced to roughly 3.3 quintals after processing. From 1.5 acres of mustard, they harvested around 7.7 quintals.

The goal was never to chase large-scale monocropping. Instead, they wanted diversity, the kind that supports soil health and long-term sustainability. 

They chose to grow what they themselves had grown up eating, food that nourished them as children. That philosophy continues to guide every decision on the farm.

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The Initial Challenges

The first real challenge was the soil itself. The organic carbon content was just 0.3 percent, far below the 1 percent needed for healthy crop growth. 

To improve soil health, they brought in red soil rich in iron and nutrients, along with vermicompost, cow dung manure, neem cake, and mustard cake. 

This mixture was prepared carefully, and about 10 kilograms of it was added to every pit before planting.

Since they chose not to use chemicals, everything had to be done manually. Weeding, soil care, and plant maintenance demanded time and physical effort.

They also faced challenges with trust and market access. In the beginning, they had no customers. 

Whatever little they sold went to friends and family. Money wasn’t coming in, but expenses kept piling up.

“A lot of people tell us to use chemicals or shortcuts, but we can’t do that. Once you lose trust, it’s gone forever.”Ankur shared with Startup Pedia.

Building trust took time. Without certifications, people were hesitant. So they focused on transparency, showing people how they grew their food and inviting them to see the process themselves.

“Almost 99 percent of seeds today are hybrid. Finding desi seeds is very difficult,” Rashmi shared with Startup Pedia. 

They also made a conscious choice to keep prices affordable. Their products are priced only 20–30 percent higher than regular market rates, while many organic brands charge double or even triple. 

It was never about maximizing profit. It was about making clean food accessible.

Also Read: Delhi Farmer Started Growing Mushrooms in a Small Room, Now Produces 170 Kg Mushrooms Daily - Clocks Monthly Revenue of Rs. 7 Lakh

Investment, Growth, and Supply Chain

Tuhi Farms owners began with an initial investment of around Rs. 5 lakh, which went into fencing, saplings, and basic infrastructure. 

Today, they receive around 200-300 orders per month. 

Their monthly revenue averages between Rs. 40,000 and Rs. 50,000, translating to an annual turnover of around Rs. 4–5 lakh.

Usually orders come through a WhatsApp group, and products are delivered directly to customers. 

Some items are sold raw, while others are processed in-house. For example, mustard is pressed into oil before being sold.

For local areas, they deliver themselves, while for distant cities, the farm founders use logistics partners for the delivery. 

For nearby areas around Kanpur, Ankur often does the deliveries personally. This direct-to-consumer model allows them to keep prices reasonable and quality high.

What is the Farm-to-Fork Model?

One of the most interesting parts of their process is the farm-to-fork model: they grow it, they process it, and they deliver it directly from the farm to the customer's plate.

"Our tagline is 'Know Your Source of Food’. You need to know exactly where your food comes from, who grew it, and how it was grown. That's what we want every customer to understand before they eat." Rashmi shared with Startup Pedia.

According to Ankur, most farms in agriculture are split into three separate roles. There is the person who grows the crop. 

Then there is someone else who processes it, turning mustard into oil, for example. And finally, there is someone else who sells and markets it. 

Each person takes a cut. The customer ends up paying more, and the farmer ends up getting less.

Rashmi and Ankur do all three themselves. They plant and harvest. They process the raw produce into finished products. 

They market it through their WhatsApp group and deliver it personally. By doing everything, they keep the costs down and the quality up, so the customer gets fresher, cheaper food.

Also Read: This Karnataka Farmer Grows Rare Mango Variety Worth Rs. 3 Lakh Per KG on His Terrace, But Chooses Not to Sell Them

Looking Ahead

The Tuhi Farms owners are thinking beyond WhatsApp. There is a website in the works, and conversations are ongoing with people who have their own apps to sell products on marketplaces. 

As the farm's customer base grows and more people find out about them, they will need those platforms. 

Ankur is focused on one thing right now: making sure they have enough stock to fulfill every order that comes in.

"If we remain consistent, I think we can scale in one or two years. But first, we need to nail the basics. The most important thing in any business is availability. When a customer places an order with us, they need to actually get what they ordered." Ankur says.

Right now, they are focused on three things: increasing production on their current 5.5 acres, building their online presence through the website, and expanding their customer base beyond Kanpur.

Also Read: This Punjab-based Organic Beauty Brand Prioritizes High Quality, Natural Ingredients Over Flashy Marketing