Rajasthani Engineer Quit High-Paying Job To Promote Camel Milk, Earning In Crores

Camel rides are out of date; camel milk is the current rage. Aadvik Foods, founded in 2016 by Hitesh Rathi as a bootstrapped business with a capital of less than Rs 10 lakh, currently includes a variety of products made from camel milk, including camel milk powder, chocolates, and a cosmetics line. Aadvik Foods distributes their camel milk powder through channels in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Bathinda, and Chandigarh, as well as to wholesalers in the US, Malaysia, and the Philippines. After working for years in their various fields, Hitesh Rathi and Shrey Kumar made the decision to explore the organic food industry and fill the gap in the farm-to-table paradigm. Aadvik Foods was created when they expanded on their concept of processing camel milk.

Hitesh Rathi: Background

Hitesh Rathi was born to uncomplicated middle-class parents. His mother is a housewife, while his father worked as an agent for the LIC. He attended Kota to study for the engineering admission exam after finishing class in Bikaner, Rajasthan. The Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh eventually awarded him a civil engineering degree. After originally working for Punj Llyod Infrastructure Company and then for PE Analytics, Gurugram, he moved to work as a construction manager in Myanmar in 2015. He realized in Myanmar that he could not work for someone else for the rest of his life. He quit his job and began doing market research. Rathi once, in an interview, described his foray into entrepreneurship, which was not encouraged by his parents.

Procurement Of Camel Milk

The company works closely with camel breeders in Gujarat and Rajasthan, giving them a reliable source of revenue while also assisting them in caring for the animals and preserving their population. More than 200 camel breeders have been involved in the founders' effort so far. Camel milk was already being sold elsewhere in the world. Hitesh, a native of Rajasthan, reasoned that it could be beneficial to develop a means of revenue for the wandering camel herders.

Camel Milk And Its Popularity

Recently, camel milk and its byproducts have gained popularity as healthier options. Additionally, it offers therapeutic advantages and functions as a treatment for chronic illnesses like diabetes, autism, and boosting immunity generally. Additionally, camel milk can be drunk by those who are lactose intolerant, and fitness enthusiasts are big fans of it because it has so little fat. Given that this is a perishable product, it is packaged in accordance with certain requirements that maintain its shelf life for 60 days in frozen form and nine months in powdered form.

Aadvik Foods: Success Story

Initial orders were taken on the phone and on their website. The camel milk products of Aadvik Foods eventually spread to all the major e-commerce sites, and today they can be found widely on sites like Amazon, eBay, Flipkart, Bigbasket, Shopclues, Snapdeal, and Doodhwala, among others. They ship their goods all around the world and are Amazon.com's top sellers. The brand, which has been lucrative since day one, has so far taken more than three lakh orders from all around the world.

Currently, the company sells many liters of camel milk per month. But it's unclear if they will be able to meet demand in the future given the declining camel population.