We often hear about chefs, restaurateurs, and food influencers in the city, but there’s another group that plays a key role in making it all possible — the farmers.
Farmers spend their days cultivating the ingredients we rely on, and yet, they rarely receive the recognition they deserve. They are experimenting with new crops, embracing sustainability, and pushing boundaries to bring us fresher, more nutritious ingredients.
We have put together a list of some of the most innovative farmers across India who are not just the backbone of agriculture but key players in the culinary industry. After all, no matter how fancy the dish, it all starts with the seed.
Credits: Kerehaklu, Website
Off the beaten track in Chikmagalur in Karnataka, Kerehaklu is spread across 250 acres, growing and supplying different varieties of coffee including Arabica, Canephora, Liberica, and Excelsia to major restaurants across India. Led by Ajoy Thipaiah and Pranoy Thipaiah, dedicated individuals keen on respecting their land and heritage through sustainable practices, Kerehaklu integrates traditional and scientific processes of conservation in their cultivation procedures.
Focusing on post-harvest cultivation of coffee to improve taste and quality, they’ve introduced their coffee to the world by partnering with roasters like Crankhouse Coffee, Quick Brown Fox, Subko Coffee, Blue Tokai, and many more. They’ve also showcased their production in The Sleeping Giant Tour in London, New York, and Chicago.
By using special yeast, bacteria, and fungi like Koji, Kerehaklu has pushed boundaries and put out special editions like Pichia Yeast Arabica and Koji Liberica, with delectable results. Besides coffee, they’ve been home to avocados for 8 years, specialising in Choquette Avocados that weigh over one kilogram and also grow and supply peppercorns, seasonal fruits, vegetables, tubers, and herbs to major restaurants across India.
Website: https://www.kerehaklu.com/
Credits: Shroomery, Website
What began as an experiment in Sumit Sharan’s backyard turned into the solution every umami-lover in India was craving. When Sharan, the founder of Shroomery, returned home after spending several years living in Southeast Asia and the US, he found the mushroom industry in India lacking. He saw a gap in the market and strived to make gourmet mushrooms easily available.
After launching Shroomery in 2019, he built a client base full of high-end restaurants across India, now including The Bombay Canteen, EKAA, The Grammar Room, and many more. Becoming Delhi NCR’s friendly neighbourhood fungi farmer in 2020, he started delivering different varieties of mushrooms to homes across Delhi NCR, including Cremini, Shiitake, Shimeji, King Trumpet, Lion’s Mane, Black Fungus, and much more.
Now, Shroomery has built a loyal audience on its Instagram eager to learn more about mushrooms. Apart from gourmet mushrooms, you can also find special products like a Kombucha made with Lion’s Mane mushrooms, Roasted Shiitake Miso, Mushroom Pickles, and a “Shroom Spotting” kit designed to help people on their foraging journey, on Shroomery’s website.
Website: https://shroomery.in/
Credits: Krishi Cress, Instagram
A former chef and graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Adelaide and New York’s International Culinary Centre, Achintya Anand believed that a direct link between a farmer and a chef would help deliver better quality products. In 2014, he started growing microgreens and supplied them to restaurants like Indian Accent and Tres. After receiving a positive response, he decided to fully dive into the agriculture industry. Now, with a team of over 70+ members, Krishi Cress stands proud as one of the top farm-fresh produce suppliers in India.
They have a “zero waste” policy and aim to provide nutritious and good quality produce through sustainable practices. The products range from salad greens, seasonal fruits, and everyday veggies to edible flowers and exotic mushrooms. They also offer 14 variants of kombucha, 12 kinds of artisanal cheeses, and a variety of condiments. Besides partnering with major restaurants and hotels in India, Krishi Cress also offers next-day delivery to homes across Delhi NCR.
Website: https://www.krishicress.com/
Credits: Three One Farms, Website
Anushka Neyol started Three One Farms in 2020 as a way to spread awareness about a nutrient-dense black wheat variety her father had cultivated the previous season on their family farm in Punjab. She enjoyed the process so much that she decided to enter regenerative agriculture for good. Her vision is to grow and share the highest quality and diversity of grains in India following climate-friendly agricultural practices.
Keen to educate their audience about the diversity and true value of Indian wheat, Three One Farms shares informational articles on speciality wheat varieties and agricultural practices on their website and Instagram. They manage everything from growing to processing over 20 varieties of speciality wheat, barley, rye, and maize. In addition to supplying restaurants like Twenty Seven Bakehouse, Otra and Subko Cacao, you’ll also find their products for sale on their website.
Website: https://www.threeonefarms.com/
Credits: Farm 2 Fam, Instagram
Growing up in a Gujarati family amid businesses and entrepreneurs, Keya Salot was a lawyer by profession, but an entrepreneur at heart. In 2018, she started a small business by growing and supplying microgreens to some top hotels in the country. By the year 2019, she saw a lot of progress and decided to cultivate exotic berries in India. After conducting thorough research on the agricultural conditions to grow blueberries and raspberries, she imported plants that could adapt to the Indian soil in 2020. She aimed to be a sustainable urban farmer and offer locally grown, good-quality berries all year round in India.
Now, Farm 2 Fam supplies exotic berries packed with antioxidants to restaurants and hotels including Tresind, Taj Hotels, ITC Hotels, St. Regis, Four Seasons, and retail platforms like Nature’s Basket, Reliance Fresh, Swiggy, etc.
Website: https://farm2fam.in/
Credits: Ishka Farms, Website
India’s first and only caper farm, Ishka Farms was established in 2012 by Fiona Arakal and Srikant Suryanarayan. Determined to conserve groundwater and transform the barren land they acquired, they set out to find a crop they could grow in harsh summers without depending on fossil fuels. This challenging feat led them to capers, a versatile crop that didn’t require excess water and yielded promising results.
Many restaurants across India such as Sienna Store, Mag St., and Bread & Chocolate source organic caper products and moringa leaf powder from Ishka Farms. They also export their innovative caper products such as brined capers and organic caper salt to Russia, Spain, and the United States of America. Their community work includes sponsoring local sports competitions, organizing village clean-ups, and ensuring financial literacy among women.
Website: https://ishkafarms.com/
Credits: Vrindavan Farms, Website
Previously an Environmental Analyst with the US Environmental Protection Agency, Gaytri Bhatia intended to return to slow, beautifully produced, nutritious food. Returning to her family farm in Wada, Maharashtra, she immersed herself in organic farming. Supporting methods of seed-saving to avoid lab-grown seeds such as hybrid or GM seeds, she emphasized the importance for all farmers to make the switch to organic produce and sustainable practices in India.
Vrindavan Farms supplies a wide range of products including seasonal produce, dehydrated fruits, preserves, rice, oil, dal, kombucha, herbal teas, speciality coffee, and much more to hotels and restaurants like The Pantry, 212 All Good, Olive Bar & Kitchen and Indigo Deli. Dedicated to promoting “earth-centric practices”, their packaging material is made with forest leaves such as teak, banana fibre, wild okra, and reusable cotton bags and glass bottles.
Website: https://www.vrindavanfarm.com/
Credits: Trikaya Agriculture, Website
Established in 1991, Trikaya Agriculture has been part of Indian farming for the last 31 years. Ravi Gupta set up a 5.5-acre farm in 1987, unaware that someday Trikaya would be spread across 305 acres in Pune, Maharashtra, the Konkan Belt, and Ooty, Tamil Nadu. Ravi’s son, Samar Gupta joined the business with his father on the marketing side and promoted the business by setting up stalls at markets people often visited. They introduced niche agricultural products to the Indian market such as and started supplying to major hotels such as the Taj Mahal Palace and The Oberoi, and fast-food chains such as McDonald’s, KFC, and Subway etc.
Their product offerings range from exotic vegetables, seasonal fruits, and herbs to potted flowers. You can order their products for home delivery in Mumbai, Pune, and Bangalore.
Website: https://trikaya.net/
Credits: Spotted Cow Fromagerie, Website
This beloved fromagerie started because Prateeksh Mehra was playing around with micro-brewing and wanted to see what artisanal cheese would pair well with his beer. He borrowed some basic equipment from his extended family and set out to experiment with artisanal cheese in his basement. Surprisingly, everybody who tasted his brie loved it immediately. That’s how he and his younger brother, Agnay Mehra, landed in the cheese-making business.
Now, the Spotted Cow Fromagerie supplies many different kinds of artisanal cheeses, including 6 flavours of cream cheese to some restaurants and hotels across India. Their top bestsellers are Bombrie, and Camembay, and are available to order in all major metro cities.
Website: https://www.thespottedcow.in/
Credits: Gunibylu Farms, Instagram
Gunibylu Farms, located on the banks of the Hemavathi River in Chikmagalur, Karnataka, is a multi-crop plantation. The estate grows varieties of coffee, cacao, and spices like nutmeg on different plots of land. Partnering with Subko Coffee’s Director of Procurement, Prasanna Gudi, they’ve helped set up an experimental cacao and coffee fermentation and drying facility for a fun experiment taken from the process of wine-making: Carbonic Maceration.
They collaborate with specialty coffee roasters including Billi Hu and Subko Coffee and also supply cacao pods to the artisanal chocolate brands Paul And Mike, and Subko Cacao.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gunibylufarms
