Meerut-based woman entrepreneur's agrictech startup converts dairy and household waste into vermicompost - earns Rs 1 crore annually.

Would you have ever thought that someone could earn crores from earthworms? No, right. But Sana Khan from Meerut does exactly that - she makes crores through vermicomposting.

Sana Khan is the founder of SJ Organics, a vermicomposting startup that she founded and launched in 2014. Initially, she dreamed about becoming a doctor and that was her goal. Despite preparing well, she didn't clear the entrance examination for the same. And that was probably because her fate had other plans.

Sana Khan took up engineering then. This would go on to become a turning point in her life - from not being able to become a doctor to literally making crores as an accomplished woman entrepreneur.

How it started

During the final year of her engineering college, Sana was given a chance to work on a project that revolved around vermicomposting. This project, in many ways, sowed the seed of her interest in the field of organic farming methods and vermicomposting in general.

After the project was completed, Sana's inclination grew and she wondered if the same could be strategically implemented on a larger scale.

The launch

Soon after, Sana Khan began breeding earthworms and decided to launch her vermicomposting venture. And therefore, SJ Organics was founded in 2014.

Sana's brother funded the venture and helped her kick-start it properly.

The journey

As with everything, the venture had its fair share of hiccups in the beginning. The first business model that Sana adopted didn't work out at all and give desired results.

But Sana Khan was never one to stop and accept defeat. The entrepreneur in her just didn't give up. After a lot of thought and research, she came up with another model - this time more strategic, well-formulated, and forward-looking.

She decided that contractors could be employed and asked to bring in a daily supply of dairy and household waste. Now, things started working out.

By 2020, SJ Organics was converting 500 tonnes of waste into 150 tonnes of vermicompost on a monthly basis. Today, the vermicomposting venture has achieved significant success.

Sana's team understands the importance of purity and credibility in vermicomposting business. This is why all batches of vermicompost produced by the firm are hundred percent lab tested and adhere to every required certification.

Since the batches are ultimately sold, SJ Organics also engages in customizing composts in alignment with requirements.

Success and impact

Over the years, SJ Organics has accomplished quite a few things for itself.

Sana Khan's vermicomposting venture sees an annual turnover of Rupees 1 crore. The company also employs more than 30 people. Apart from the numbers, the startup has also created grassroots awareness about organic farming methods.

Owing to its efforts of consulting, advice, and guidance in the same direction, more than 100 schools in Meerut have set up vermicomposting units.

In the future, Sana Khan and her team at SJ Organics aim to expand information, awareness, and implementation of organic farming methods beyond the state of Uttar Pradesh.

To know more about SJ Organics, visit the website.