Uttarakhand trio builds Rs 2.5-cr cold-pressed oil biz in Rajasthan; empowers farmers

Satyam Bhandari’s heart is in the hills though his work has taken him to the Chambal Valley in Rajasthan. Born in Agastyamuni, 200 km from Dehradun in Uttarakhand, he set up Heart in Hills Private Limited with three friends in 2021 to rejuvenate agriculture by working directly with farmers.

Today, the social enterprise is engaged with 1200 mustard growers in Rajasthan to make and sell Foreka brand cold-pressed mustard oil in black and yellow varieties. The black variety is thicker and known for its pungency. It also supplies oil to top brands. The company’s products are sold through Amazon, Jiomart and its own website.

Heart in Hills collaborates with two FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations) – one near Jhansi and the other in the Chambal Valley. It procures groundnuts from the FPO near Jhansi and processes and sells groundnut oil as well. 

The venture’s network of mustard growers practice natural (chemical-free) farming near the Chambal River in the Karauli district of Rajasthan. It is a tribal region with farmers living in forest areas and cultivating mustard.

“Earlier, we provided them fair trade opportunities. Now, we are setting up local units for sorting and grading to prevent them from migrating to towns and cities. We have been able to increase farmer incomes by about 10 percent,” says 27-year-old Satyam. 

The other two co-founders are Rohit Negi and Mohit Rana, Satyam’s classmates from school. “They are civil engineers who quit their corporate jobs. I was already working in the development field when we set up Heart in Hills.”  While Satyam is the CEO of the enterprise, Rohit is in charge of sales and operations. Mohit takes care of procurement and production. 

The venture’s revenue climbed from Rs 60 lakh in 2023-24 to Rs 1.3 crore in the first two quarters of 2024-25. It is projected to touch Rs 2.5 crore in 2024-25, more than four times increase over the previous year.

Health benefits

Foreka mustard oil is minimally processed using the cold-press technique which keeps its nutritional value intact.

Cold press is a mechanical process that uses pressure to extract oils from plant matter without using heat. It preserves the bioactive components and retains the essential fatty acids, Omega 3 and Omega 6 of the oil.

For vegetarians, there are very few sources of these fatty acids.

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The strong pungent flavour of mustard oil enhances dishes made across the country from ‘Jhal Muri (a bhel puri-like snack made in Bengal) to ‘Sarson ka Saag’, popular in Punjab. Mustard oil is widely used in pickling and ‘tadkas’, apart from cooking vegetables. 

Rajasthan is the largest producer of mustard seeds. Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are other major producers. Mustard oil is also used in Ayurvedic preparations as it is said to aid digestion and reduce pain and inflammation. 

Finding his calling

Satyam’s father passed away six days before he was born. “I have seen my mother struggle to raise me till she got a government job when I was in class 7. In class 12, I wanted to do something in the field of entrepreneurship but did not know what,” he says.  

He studied BSc from a Dehradun college having obtained a scholarship. He was a Gandhi fellow in 2018-19. When he was working in the field of education in Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh, he came into contact with farm labourers whose children could not go to school due to poverty. This was a turning point in determining his future career. 

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In 2020, he participated in the Jagriti Yatra (a 15-day entrepreneurship train journey to inspire youth to become entrepreneurs). This also helped him decide what he wanted to do in life. 

“I realised I wanted to work on the livelihood aspect, particularly for women. In the hills where I grew up, it is mostly the women who work on farms as the menfolk have migrated from the region,” says Satyam.  

Buddha fellowship

Satyam obtained a prestigious fellowship in November 2020 from The Buddha Institute, founded by IIM, Ahmedabad alumnus Ved Arya. “The Buddha Institute has given us a grant of Rs 25 lakhs. It has also provided mentoring in marketing and sales and introduced us to a network of people,” says Satyam.

“Under the Buddha fellowship, we do not mentor anybody who is not willing to work with the rural supply chain. The fellow has to ensure that the farmers benefit by around 10 percent due to increased income than if they go directly to the market,” says Chitranjan Dar, former CEO of ITC Foods, a mentor to Satyam from The Buddha Institute. Heart in Hills has largely managed to remove the middleman from the procurement system in the area they work in, he adds. 

“As far as the product Foreka is concerned, it is probably the most pungent mustard oil in the country at present. The chemical-free cold-press method retains the antioxidants in the oil and preserves its pungency, a special property of mustard," says Dar.

The seeds are ideally passed through wooden rollers. Satyam is working with mustard and groundnut oil at the moment and will soon add sesame seed (til) oil to his products. These three oils are widely consumed in the unrefined state and hence the cold-pressed varieties are popular,” he adds.   

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Free testing facilities 

In Rajasthan, mustard farmers are price takers. Once they spend money to transport their produce to the market, they have to settle for whatever amount they get for the produce, says Satyam. Heart in Hills intervened by providing them free testing facilities to find out the oil percentage in the mustard crop. This is what determines the price. The venture also pays the farmers a higher rate. Now, an average farmer earns around Rs 60,000-plus per year from mustard sales. 

The venture is more into B2B sales, with some B2C sales through its website. Their cold pressed black mustard oil costs Rs 320 per litre, yellow mustard Rs 450, and groundnut oil comes for Rs 500 per litre.

“We have to involve farmers in oil processing for them to benefit. Farmers working in the mustard oil processing unit earn Rs 25,000 per month. Currently, we have an oil processing unit in Hindaun city,” he explains.  

“Our approach is more than just production. We partner directly with FPOs empowering farmers. This not only builds sustainable livelihoods but also strengthens local communities,” emphasises Satyam.

“At Foreka, we are committed to climate-smart agriculture. Through partnerships with FPOs, we encourage farmers to adopt techniques such as crop rotation, water-efficient irrigation and organic soil enrichment. This not only improves crop yields and soil health but also mitigates greenhouse gas emissions,” he says. 

At the processing unit too, eco-friendly practices are at the core of the operations. “The cold-press technique minimises energy use. Also, we reuse plastic oil drums which transport the oil to B2B customers reducing our consumption of plastic,” he adds. 

‘House of Mustard’

Satyam and his co-founders are planning to tap the mustard value chain and establish a ‘House of Mustard’ which will make and sell mustard sauce, chutney and other value-added products apart from oil. “This project is in the research and development (R&D) stage. We have produced some samples and are in the process of raising funds. Once these are in place we will work on the B2C branding part.”

Another project close to his heart is agro-tourism. “Soon, the farmers we engage with will host customers in their farms and villages to give them an experiential opportunity to see farming and animal husbandry practices at close quarters.” 

Heart in Hills is committed to women’s empowerment. Women are involved in farming, the processing unit, packaging and local sales.

The venture works to build the capacity of women’s SHGs (Self-Help Groups) to provide employment to women. Some women are smart enough to sell the oil cake, which is used as cattle feed, and get additional income, says Satyam.  

The company’s future plans include setting up processing units for five oilseeds for farmers in the next three years. Farmers will also invest in them and profits will be shared between the venture and farmers. The plan is to involve 10,000 farmers and employ 250 people in the processing units by then, says a determined Satyam.

(Aruna Raghuram is a freelance journalist based in Ahmedabad. She writes on women’s issues, environment, DEI issues, and social/development enterprises.)

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