Gujarat Man Makes Fertilizer From Cow Urine - Clocks Rs 70 Lakhs/Year

It all began 25 years ago when Bhavesh Purohit’s father started a goshala. He used to see stray and abandoned cows, wandering on the streets, feeding on harmful garbage.

In an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia, Bhavesh says, “My father has always been a cow lover. To just continue seeing them in pain and distress was not something he would do. Despite coming from a humble background, he set up a goshala and gave shelter to many cows. Growing up, I was surrounded by cows. He encouraged me to take care of them as well.”

Bhavesh hails from the Banaskantha district in Gujarat. He went on to get his bachelor's in biotechnology from a college in Ahmedabad. While still in college, Bhavesh saw his father struggling to save cows. 

He explains, “See, it’s a very nuanced problem. I am all up for goshalas. But I think they don’t solve the problem completely nor do they address the root cause. One day, my father said that the number of abandoned cows on the streets was increasing. Even though we were still saving the cows, we wanted to find a more long-term solution.”

That is when Bhavesh thought about the reason why farmers abandoned these cows. And it was clear.

In 2017, farmers weren’t very aware of organic farming. As a result, they were getting more and more away from desi cows and we're not utilizing them properly.

“I knew that this problem could only be solved by making cows economically viable. Farmers should want to keep and raise these cows themselves. The cow is one of the most beneficial animals in India - and we can reap these benefits while helping the cows live a more fulfilled and healthy life,” Bhavesh adds.

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Bhavesh Purohit immersed himself in deep research and came up with the idea of turning cow urine into 100% natural fertilizers.

In this way, cows would become feasible to be kept, farmers would benefit from the result of organic farming, and the end consumer will get fresher, more natural food products.

That is how Dhenu Prasad Agrovet Limited was established in 2017.

INITIAL CHALLENGES 

In the beginning, Bhavesh and his team started working on Research and Development. Three long years later, they finally came up with the perfect formulation. 

A cow urine fertilizer that does wonders to the soil and can be used for any type of crops. 

Dhenu Prasad began with just 50 liters of cow urine that they collected from Bhavesh’s father’s goshala and converted it into fertilizer at their factory and plant located in Banaskantha in Gujarat. 

Bhavesh tells Startup Pedia, “We were happy and excited. But what we didn't know was that there lay a huge roadblock ahead of us. And that roadblock was awareness. Farmers simply didn't know much about organic farming and were very skeptical about our innovation. My team and I used to visit villages and farmlands in and around our area almost every day - only to be met with rejections. No one was ready to try them.”

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To solve the awareness gap, Bhavesh began organizing educational and informative workshops for farmers. He explained the benefits of cow urine and how it has immense potential, especially in the farming realm. 

The Dhenu Prasad team also started engaging with farmers and offered them free demonstrations.

Bhavesh says, “Honestly, in the field of farming, actions are always above words. We knew we couldn't just endlessly talk about our cow urine fertilizer. We had to display its effects. We started picking one farmer from each village and convinced them to use cow urine through the year. It was difficult convincing them but we were offering an unwavering guarantee. These demonstrations worked wonders for us. Other farmers kept track of these lands and checked for the crop’s quality. When everything was in place and they were fully satisfied, they were finally accepting of our product and asked us to send it over. That was a major win for us.”

DHENU PRASAD AGROVET

Today, Dhenu Prasad’s manufacturing unit has the capacity to process 1000 liters of cow urine every single day. 

Bhavesh tells Startup Pedia, “Most of our work is automated, so we operate with a very limited team size.”

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Dhenu Prasad purchases cow urine (gomutra) from farmers at a rate of Rs 5 per liter. At present, they give out Rs 2.5 lakhs per month to farmers as money for the gomutra. 

This benefits farmers, keeps the cows economically viable, and helps the farm transition into an organic farming space.

Currently, Dhenu Prasad’s manufacturing unit processes 45,000 liters of cow urine every single month. Their products include the Dhanrakshak (natural pest repellent), Dhanbhumi (soil conditioner), Dhanvruddhi (for flowering and fruiting). 

Bhavesh mentions, “Our products are tailor-made for each stage of the farming process. They're perfectly safe and have zero side effects. They improve the soil quality manifold.”

GROWTH 

Dhenu Prasad has seen commendable growth over the years. It has become India's First Cow Urine Dairy. Its products have helped more than 500 farmers switch to 100% organic farming.

Bhavesh and his father continue to save cows and add them to their goshala. “At present, we've saved around 15,000 cows. At our goshala, we have a small cow hospital as well,” he says.

In FY24, Dhenu Prasad clocked a revenue of Rupees 70 lakhs. In FY25, the expected revenue mark will cross Rs 1.5 crore.

Dhenu Prasad also makes cow urine products for human consumption - like Distilled Ark and Dhenugold (dry powder of cow urine). These products are sent to Ayurvedic companies who further research on them and incorporate them into their products. 

Bhavesh says, “Our Ark and Dhenugold are great in bioavailability and help boost immunity.”

FUTURE PLANS

In the next two months, Dhenu Prasad will be scaling their operations 10x.

Bhavesh signs off by saying, “We are expanding our manufacturing plant to process 10,000 liters of cow urine every single day. We will also be establishing more plants. Our products and consumers are both from rural spaces, and we want to establish a model where everyone thrives. We are working on the Amul dairy model and aim to become a bigger, more sustainable cow urine dairy.”

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