SAFFRON FARMING by SHAYA..a unique pursuit by a startup..a fledgling business designed for high growth and scalability.
Dr. Namrata Mishra Tiwari
Akshay Holey and Divya Lohkare Holey started growing saffron in a 400-square-foot room, scaled their homegrown business, and clocked Rs 30 lakh in FY25. Underwent a lot of research and overcame multiple challenges.
SAFFRON FARMING : HOW IT ALL BEGAN !!
Hailing from Nagpur, Akshay Holey and Divya Lohakare Holay began searching for something that fulfilled around four conditions: that could be easily done from house, was non-perishable and had a huge existing market demand,was a high-value crop. After referring to books and various other learning materials, they discovered that saffron met all these criteria.
For the next one and a half years, the duo conducted in-depth research and even visited Kashmir multiple times to understand the local, traditional farming methods that are utilized to grow saffron.
SAFFRON FARMING : JOURNEY AND CHALLENGES !
In 2020, entrepreneurs Divya Lohakare Holey and Akshay Holey decided to experiment on a small scale. They bought 100 saffron seeds. Out of the 100 seeds, 85 gave flowers. The entrepreneurs knew they had cracked saffron cultivation using aeroponics! And from 2020 to 2023, the startup founders spent time learning, unlearning, and eventually perfecting the art of saffron cultivation. They set up a saffron unit in a 400-squarefoot room in Nagpur.
“One of our biggest challenges during the process was procuring the equipment and machinery that goes behind setting up a saffron cultivation unit. We were now scaling the business and didn’t want to use makeshift methods. We wanted to adhere to world-class standards. But the tools and machinery we needed weren’t sold in the market,” startup founder Divya Lohakare Holey recalls.
What followed were multiple conversations with people in the farming technology realm, trials and errors, and ultimately setting up a saffron unit that adhered to world-class standards. Initially, saffron farming entrepreneurs Divya and Akshay navigated the saffron startup world completely alone. People didn’t believe that the aeroponics technology would work.
“We invested close to Rs 15 lakh since 2018. This amount went into research, analysis, setting up the saffron unit, and other everyday expenses. We had used all our savings by then,” Divya Lohakare Holey says. Out of the initial investment of Rs 15 lakh, Rs 10 lakh went into buying 2,40,000 seeds and procuring the equipment and machinery for the saffron unit. The remaining Rs 5 lakh went into conducting research.
By 2023, they launched Shaya Enterprises and started receiving positive word-of-mouth recommendations and their saffron produce began to be sold in significant quantities.
“I think one of the reasons our first batch of customers came to us was that we were (and still are) offering 100% lab-tested unadulterated saffron. The trust factor worked in our favour,” explains Divya.
Today, the Nagpur-based saffron farming entrepreneurs are known to offer pure and original saffron to customers. Under Shaya Enterprises, each batch of saffron undergoes rigorous quality checks. The products come with a QR code that can be scanned to know the specific lab report certifying the quality of the saffron.
“I believe credibility is the most important part of our business. We know that we are making saffron in a small room and anyone can have doubts as to how authentic it is. Our FSSAI certification and the quality checks conducted by the India International Saffron Trading Centre, which is a government facility in Kashmir, position us as a brand that does not compromise on purity,” startup founder Divya Lohakare Holey explains.
Currently only working on their B2C retail chain, the entrepreneurs sell one gram of saffron for Rs 630 and half gram for Rs 350.
SAFFRON FARMING! the growth
Shaya Enterprises sells its products from social media and e-commerce channels like Instagram, WhatsApp, Amazon, and its own website. The largest chunk of customers still come from the offline medium where positive recommendations play an important role.
In FY24, the saffron farming entrepreneurs harvested 1,600 grams of saffron and clocked a revenue of Rs 10 lakh.In FY25, the saffron startup produced a total of 4.73 kg of saffron. The revenue surged to Rs 30 lakh. They’re now looking to start exporting saffron as well.
SAFFRON FARMING! upcoming next!
Saffron’s production period is limited to the months of August to November. Akshay Holey and Divya Lohakare Holey aim to use technology in a way that they are not dependent on saffron cultivation alone.
Next on the list for them is growing microgreens at home and helping other people also do the same.They are beginning to sell DIY microgreens kits to customers who can use them to grow microgreens at their homes. The farming entrepreneurs are also launching their microgreens powder brand in the market.
“For Akshay and I, the blend of farming and technology has worked wonders. We don’t want to limit this to just ourselves. The art of growing something from scratch, knowing exactly what went behind it, and then finally consuming it is one of the most beautiful things in life. And we want to make this feeling more accessible for people,” Divya Lohakare Holey signs off.
SHAYA ENTERPRISES
Contact : 7798060810,
7709260810.
WEBSITE : https://shayaenterprises.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/share/1A5UGkrUwm/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Brand : https://www.instagram.com/shaya_enterprises/?igsh=MTZoeHg3aGZ1cDhnaA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr#
Founders : https://www.instagram.com/divya_lohakare?igsh=MXV0cjRsM3FxdGhyNA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
https://www.instagram.com/akshayholey?igsh=MTMwNzhwMHg2MzZtcQ==/
Brand:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/shaya-enterprises/
Founder:
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