Lakdi Ghani is an ancient oil extraction method which was used to produce oil by pressing oilseeds. in the earlier days, cattle were used to turn a thick grinding wooden stick (usually Babool shafts) which was used to crush oilseeds against the inner wall of a cylindrical drum. The process is now done using machines instead of cattle, but the apparatus has more or less remained the same. The oil thus produced drains to the bottom and is later filtered for use.
When Sarika Mishra, co-founder and CEO of Emm & Bee Natural Products and Urvashi Bhardwaj, also co-founder, decided to explore this ancient method of oil extraction, it formed the base of their entrepreneurial journey. Having been neighbours and family friends for many years, starting a venture together was a natural extension.
Sarika shares, “We both are passionate about working out in the gym and Yoga and believe in mind and body healing through ancient Indian Ayurveda. Our belief led us to explore the ancient method of cooking oil extraction method (Lakdi Ghani – wood pressing) and its benefits, usage and a step towards sustainability and bringing a paradigm shift in the way we feed our bodies by going back to roots and ancient Indian practices.” The advantages of using these oils is that it retains its natural density, and hence is more viscous than refined oil. It is also natural as is normally suitable for consumption, without preservatives. As further processing is not required, the oil also doesn’t lose out on its nutrients so it is more nutritious as well.
Brand Urvika
Sarika and Urvashi had a vision to bring sustainable, chemical free, healthier and organic food to every house; which is based on age old Indian Ayurveda for a healthier and conscious living. And that’s how their brand Urvika was born.
Urvar/Urvarak is a Sanskrit word and in English means fertile; or which gives essential elements for wellbeing and increases productivity. Urvashi adds, “At Urvika we work hard to bring nourishing and holistic food products; the products which act as Urvarak for our mind, body and soul. Urvika products are designed keeping our end customer in mind and are thoroughly researched; based on Ayurveda and proven to be more wholesome, retaining its goodness. We aim to create products which are healthier alternative to refined/chemically processed foods and helps in creating a more sustainable environment around us. Organic, natural, also encourages our local farmers and helps our community in making healthier choices.”
Both women started working on this vision around Sept 2019. They managed to launch their first 4 products (organic cold pressed cooking oils) around January 2020. And then the lockdown happened.
Supply chain and other challenges
Speaking about the challenges of entering the organic market, Sarika explains, “The organic market per se is highly fragmented and highly unorganised. The whole process of finding Organic produce suppliers/wholesalers/farmers/FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations) – we had to struggle to understand how to go about it, from where to start. Neither of us belonged to a business background. The Organic industry is not very straight forward when you want to adhere to the regulations and norms. Organic certification is also a process. We initially started with not doing the farming ourselves but buying the bulk produce as that was little less cumbersome to begin with. Now as we are coming close to a year of our operation, in the 2nd phase we have liased with a Farmer Producer Organisation from Uttarakhand region having more than 500 organic farmers working together. We. This way we will be able to procure the produce directly from the FPO and bring it to the society at large.”
She added that they found the connection to the Uttarakhand FPO at BioFach India, the annual event that brings organic producers together on one platform – proving how important it is for everyone in the organic supply chain to participate in these kind of trade events.
Urvika offers 4 types of organic cold pressed cooking oils – Mustard, Groundnut, Sesame and Virgin Coconut. Soon the duo will be launching Organic grains, lentils and condiments. The company has a FSSAI license and is USDA (NOP-National Organic Programme) and NPOP (Nation Programme for Organic Production) certified by EcoCert. Currently, they cater to only the domestic market and deliver pan India.
Expanding on the future plans for the brand, Urvashi informs, “The future plans are to become India’s no 1 organic food products company. We as an organisation want to generate more farming employment, we want more people in India to engage in organic farming due to obvious benefits for the whole society. Also, we want the organic produce to be more affordable and available for the larger part of the society rather than being a premium produce available to just a handful number of people who can afford it. We plan to increase our offerings in terms of number of products and also geographies in the next 5 years.”
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