Moringa Couple and Lepcha Hats

Dear Reader,

I always feel that our life is the result of choices we make. Our choices decide our future and that of the following generations. Sarla and Jitendra Mann chose to move back to their village to escape Delhi’s pollution and chemical-laden foods. At that time, in 2017, Jitendra was working with TCS and realised that the only way to save his health was to go back to rural life where he could grow his food naturally and soak in the sun. 

Cut to 2024. The couple’s organic moringa powder, sold under the ‘Husband Wife Farm’ brand, is in high demand in India and overseas. The duo told me about clocking a turnover of Rs10 lakh per acre from organic farming and processing of moringa, a superfood. The couple’s story of transition is detailed here. It makes for an interesting read. 

My colleague Anu spoke to Sahil Jain and his mother Meena, who teamed up to start a healthy snacking brand in 2018. Sahil, a chartered accountant, quit his job with KPMG to market his nutritionist mom’s formulations. Today, their granola bars, seed mixes and other snacks are purchased by India’s top hotel chains.

The focus on the B2B model has helped their startup Mighty Millets grow sustainably, clocking Rs6 lakh monthly sales. They hope to end FY25 with Rs1 crore in revenues.

Last week, my colleague Partho spoke to Jordan Lepcha, who learned Sikkim's 500-year-old art of handcrafting bamboo hats and then began training others. He has revived the nearly-extinct craft and sells each hat for Rs 25,000. Jordan has also helped 150 people become craft entrepreneurs and is training many more.

Our Sunday story is on Odisha’s Kanhakund, where carved rocks transport you to an alien planet. Seriously! The rock formations due to years of weathering by the waters of Ib River make them look spooky.

In the Money section, my colleague Karan wrote about gold prices rising further. So if buying gold is on your list, don’t delay it for long. The prices will move only northwards as global banks cut interest rates after a long hiatus.

Happy Reading!

Warmly,

Rashmi