How 2 brothers in rural Kolhapur built a Rs12 lakh jackfruit snacks business

While growing up in Gaganbawda tehsil of Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district, Tejas and Rajesh Powar saw frequent wastage of jackfruit. Almost every farmer in the village inherited jackfruit trees from their ancestors, and high production year after year led to a market glut. So, the growers often threw away the jackfruit instead of incurring costs to harvest it and transport it to the mandi. 

Tejas and Rajesh’s parents also had some jackfruit trees. “My parents (Sangita and Vilas Powar) once took raw jackfruit for one of our relatives living in Kolhapur. He suggested they make jackfruit chips instead of throwing away the excess,” 23-year-old Tejas tells 30Stades.

His parents prepared around 15 kg of chips and went door-to-door in Kolhapur for sale. While the demand increased, it was not possible to provide doorstep delivery.

“So after I completed my ITI in 2023, I decided to put up some basic machines for cutting and packaging the chips to sell directly to wholesalers and retailers,” he says.

The rising business of jackfruit value addition

Preparing jackfruit’s value-added products is a fast-growing business. The use of jackfruit as a meat substitute and the rise of vegan and gluten-free diets have given a leg-up to jackfruit processing. Increased awareness of jackfruit's nutritional value, including high fibre, vitamins, and antioxidants, boosts demand.

India's jackfruit products market is valued at Rs 1252 crore and projected to grow to around Rs 1580 crore in the next five years, says a report by Chaudhary Charan Singh National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (CCSNIAM).

Jackfruit kebabs, biryanis, and other ready-to-cook items are in demand in national and international markets.

Also Read: Jackfruit: How India's ancient fruit became a vegan superfood 

When Tejas decided to commercialise the set-up, his brother Rajesh began helping him alongside his studies. “Apart from machines, we had to ensure consistent product quality and raw material supply to meet the demand. So tie-ups with local farmers were a must,” Tejas says.

Procuring and processing jackfruits

Jackfruit trees grow up to 30 feet to 70 feet. “Harvesting jackfruit from tall, old trees presents significant challenges due to height, the fruit's large size and heavy weight, and the sticky latex it exudes,” says Tejas.

Also Read: Kerala's 78-year-old jackfruit farmer earns Rs4 lakh per acre

As a result, many farmers don’t harvest jackfruit. 

“We pay them between Rs 30 and Rs 70 per kg and use trained people to harvest the fruit. Now we buy almost all the jackfruit produced in our village and the neighbouring Radhanagari tehsil to turn them into jackfruit chips and poli,” he says.

“Our work has helped farmers earn more, prevented jackfruit wastage, and created job opportunities,” says Tejas.

The brothers use raw jackfruit to make chips. The ripe fruits are used to prepare fanas poli – a traditional sweet flatbread made using jackfruit pulp, jaggery, and wheat flour. The harvesting of raw jackfruit starts in January-February and continues till July-August.

“Once it starts raining, jackfruit ripens quickly and is often wasted. We use this ripened jackfruit to make poli,” he says.

Also Read: Engineer takes exotic fruits and jackfruit varieties from Kerala to the world; clocks Rs1.5 crore turnover 

The business of jackfruit chips

Tejas and Rajesh process over 4,000 kg of jackfruit annually to produce 1,000 kg of wafers. “About 4 kg of unripe jackfruit yields one kg of chips. The fruit is cut in half, the stalk is removed, and the outer thorny skin is peeled. We then remove and deseed the inner bulbs of flesh. The deseeded bulbs are sliced lengthwise into thin, uniform strips to ensure even frying,” he says.

The brothers do not add any artificial colours or preservatives and use only three ingredients in chips – jackfruit, coconut oil and salt.

“We sell jackfruit wafers at Rs900 to Rs 10,000 per kg, depending on the market situation. The products are sold to wholesalers across Maharashtra,” the rural entrepreneur says. 

The brothers use coconut oil from a well-known vendor to maintain consistent quality. “Fanas poli is sold at Rs700 per kg,” Tejas says.

Five family members are involved in the food business. “We hire 10-12 people for seasonal work. The unit runs from January to September in tune with the harvest season. For the rest of the three months, we focus on marketing,” he adds.

Now the brothers plan to launch jackfruit papad and laddus soon. “We are also setting up a new manufacturing plant with more automation and enhanced capacity,” Tejas says.

(US Anu is a Madurai-based writer. She specialises in stories around human interest, environment and art and culture.) 

Read More: Panruti: The jackfruit capital of India

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