Meet The Pune Brothers, Who Left High Salary Jobs To Pursue Organic Farming, Earning Over 12 Crore Annually

Satyajit and Ajinka Hange climbed the corporate ladder after completing their MBAs from Pune University by working with premier MNCs for almost ten years. But there was always a strange feeling. Gradually, stuff seemed off somehow. They came to understand that they could only ever be completely content when they were in their 100-year-old wada in the Bhodani village of Indapur Taluka. They decided to launch Two Brothers Organic Farms (TBOF) after growing weary of their corporate employment. They got harsh criticism for their choice. But they had a rigid set of beliefs. The Hange brothers began farming on a small plot of land and now operate a 21-acre organic farm with an annual revenue of Rs 12 crore. They use conventional farming techniques and cow dung as manure.

TBOF: The Beginning

Two Brothers Organic Farm (TBOF) was founded in 2014 by Satyajit Hange (42), and Ajinkya Hange (39), who both left their positions as bankers to pursue their own organic farms. The brothers were kept away from farming from a young age, despite hailing from a farming family. The two brothers attended school in Pune from kindergarten through graduation, and they also had jobs there for a while. Before deciding that farming was their vocation, they spent the next seven to eight years traveling through India's major towns.

Early Challenges

The brothers discovered that the farms' output had substantially decreased from their fellow farm laborers. Prior to beginning, they were aware that the majority of farms produced less due to declining soil fertility and inorganic agricultural practices. Additionally, both the amount of active labours and the availability of water are declining. They were aware of organic farming, but few others in their area were actually doing it. They began meeting farmers who were practicing unconventional farming all over India. In a few isolated areas around the nation, organic farming was conducted, but not in a way that was profitable. They stopped using chemical fertilizers the day they learned about their negative impacts.

Use Of Traditional Manures

Two brothers resumed using cow dung as fertilizer for their plants. The soil is given the micro- and macronutrients it needs through the use of traditional manures like cow dung. To increase fertility, they mulched their farms with organic waste. While poly-cropping helps boost soil fertility, soil particle size, water retention capacity, and eventually farm biodiversity, mono-cropping causes the depletion of one specific nutrient. As they began experimenting with poly-cropping, now their farm has a food forest with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and 25 to 30 different plant species, some of which are medicinal.

Experiment With Papaya

One of their initial experiments was with papaya. Even though it didn't have a particularly attractive exterior, it tasted good. Markets, on the other hand, disapproved of their prices because they were based on the fruit's appearance. Then they started building their brand TBOF and took their produce to markets and shopping centers, and they also entered the online realm. After four years of trial and error, the brothers created a model using local seeds, their own fertilizers, and insecticides, which significantly reduced their agricultural expenditures. Their true market prices were three to four times greater than those on the local market for the caliber of their produce. They succeeded in raising market awareness of the value of organic produce through a variety of community and nonprofit programs, which had an impact on their local farmers.

Also Read: How A Trip To Bali Changed The Lives Of This Engineer Couple? Earning Rs 18 Lakh Per Month After Giving Up High-Paying Jobs

Final Success Story

Gradually, TBOF received a large number of visitors and farmers from 14 different nations, as well as from all around India. Travelers, farmers, media professionals, and bankers from the USA, France, Germany, and Australia are among them. Additionally, the Maharashtra government invited farmers from all around the nation to learn more about their agricultural methods. More than 25,000 farmers have received organic agricultural training from Satyajit and Ajinkya during the past six to seven years. To evaluate and advise them on how to improve their produce, the two even go to their farms. The brothers have also joined hands with local farmers to help them convert their farms to organic practices and market their produce.

Currently, the duo sell a variety of organic goods, including laddoos, gulkand, chyawanprash, ghee, peanut butter, groundnut oil, traditional wheat flour, jowar varieties, and nutritionally-rich rice and pulses. No third party exists. Everything is available for purchase online, and orders are shipped out within four to five days of being placed. Their yearly revenue in 2016 was Rs. 2 lakh. However, they currently have an annual turnover of roughly Rs. 12 crore. Everyone in the supply chain is now a stakeholder after Team TBOF recently gave stocks worth around Rs 3.6 crore to all of its employees, from the cowherder to the chauffeur.