A childhood diet of Discovery Channel’s Food Factories impressed an eight-year-old to such an extent that he began to dream, then worked towards the dream, and today has taken his first steps to live the dream. His own food factory. Despite an entrepreneur father and forefathers who owned and operated textile and spinning mills in Tiruppur, Ramnivash Mathiyalagan was determined to one day build his own factory to mass produce food and be part of the supply chain that reaches high quality food to the market.
Prepping for the Future
Ramnivash did his Bachelor’s in Biotech in India and then moved to Melbourne, Australia to study Food Science for his Master’s degree. He worked as an intern at a cheese factory, where he had an epiphany. That even the best of the universities cannot really prepare you for what’s out in the real world. The textbooks were not much help when it came to handling everyday issues. Ramnivash remembers his first job fondly, “I interviewed at Chobani factory in quality control systems, but it was mostly paperwork. But working there was great – Chobani is one of the top global yogurt brands. I learnt so much, especially when I was promoted to oversee the factory – where I was in charge of both quality and product development. I worked in multiple departments – sales and marketing, production/ maintenance, and learnt the inner workings of a food factory!”
Ramnivash didn’t give up on his dream, even as he moved up the ladder with a global brand in Australia. He stayed to work for eight years, received his PR and then booked his one-way ticket back home. “It was a nice stress-free, chill life, but I was impatient to get back. It was a tough choice, but I wanted to get started on my plans in my own place back home. I had even registered and received trademarks for my product line,” he laughs.
First Steps Back Home
Ramnivash was in for a bit of culture shock when he returned home to India. After having worked in a structured and standardized work atmosphere, it was a bit disheartening to see how long it took for even the simplest of processes. “The landscape is very different here. In Australia, when you have a product or even a product idea, you just have to approach a supermarket chain or any major chain; the products are on all their shelves once approved. But here it is very different, given that we have mostly small vendors and small supermarkets, which are the ones with the real reach,” he explains. But his years of working abroad had given him the necessary exposure and experience to be able to establish his own food factory in Tiruppur.
Moving back in 2022, Ramnivash began with dehydrated vegetables in various forms. It was a process that foods like Maggie noodles and instant soups used for their products. “So, we decided to manufacture dehydrated foods in bulk and supply to factories, basically a B2B model,” he says. By 2023, Ramnivash was all set to start off his own food production unit. Instead of selling to businesses, he created Daily Farmer, which would offer consumers dried garlic, ginger, and tomato powders. The unit was set up in Tiruppur, in about 6-8 months.
Navigating the Food Business
Ramnivash was conscious of staying true to source, “We used raw materials mostly sourced in and around my native place, Tiruppur. We cut the middle man out completely. I personally spoke with farmers, and based on how much each of them produced we organized farmer communities – about five to ten farmers who cultivated seasonal crops formed a community. It was beneficial both ways. Of course, not all the produce is local – we procure some from other states as well. For instance, our Gulkand is from a vendor in Rajasthan. You see, it requires a special kind of rose petal, with a specific color and aroma that is available only there. Or Himalayan salt, that obviously cannot be from anywhere else.”
Daily Farmer sells their produce to bulk customers in Bangalore and Chennai, but you can also find them on retail shelves of gourmet stores, supermarkets, and hyper markets. “We are available in retail stores only in Tamil Nadu: twenty five plus stores in Chennai, and thirty plus in Coimbatore,” says Ramnivash. The onus of identifying, researching, and defining a product is on Ramnivash. So, he is constantly scouring the internet and his network, for new product ideas and new approaches to products rooted in our culture. “We originally began as a product-based company with five items, such as seasoning and spices etc. Now we have pivoted to offering concern-based product line. From digestive issues and menstrual problems, to nutritional supplements for picky eaters and new-borns, Daily Farmer’s products address everyday health concerns in a tasty and simple manner.
Ramnivash says proudly, “In the two years since we began Daily Farmer, we’ve been able to stand by our principle that all our products are made the right way, which is not necessarily the easy way. So many brands are popping up, inspired by western culture and diet, so we wanted to touch the roots of India and bring back clean-label products. Use local, native ingredients to help with health concerns and maintain taste and quality at the same time.”
Not an easy principle to uphold, but Ramnivash won’t give up despite challenges. For now, the products are only available in tier 1 cities, mainly due to the higher price tags compared to regular brands, also given that consumers here are more open to trying new brands and are motivated to pay extra money to get the benefits. However, Daily Farmer is looking to move into tier 2 cities soon. Another challenge is the cost that adds up because of packaging. Ramnivash explains, “Single use packaging is cheaper, of course. But we want to be conscious of the impact on our environment, therefore Daily Farmer is only available in reusable containers. In addition to staying top of mind, they also stay on in kitchens, where they can be reused. All our products come in reusable containers. We’d rather cut back on our profits and not make our customers pay for the packing. You see it’s our policy, why should be pass on the costs to customers?” Scaling is another challenge Daily Farmer encounters as it grows. It’s basically chicken and egg. “It’s easy to produce in smaller batches and maintain quality. But with scale, we have to give up on taste, flavor…” He brightens up, “We learnt the hard way, but that has helped us actually grow through trial and error.”
Ramnivash welcomes customer feedback. “We make every attempt to be in touch with our customers, take their feedback and work on it. In fact, I appreciate bad reviews more than appreciation,” he laughs. As part of women’s day celebrations, Ramnivash and his team went around the city, to malls and stores. They set up pop-ups and walk-by trials where they handed their products out for folks to try. They also conducted blind tests and educated women on menstrual issues and how Daily Farmer’s product range could help. “We set up local pop ups, so I could interact with customers. Once we had a customer base, word of mouth helped a lot.”
Son of a textile businessman, Ramnivash had little interest in his family business. He had set his sights on a food factory a la the ones he saw on Discovery, Channel and that’s exactly what he worked towards. He recalls being asked at the interview with Chobani: where do you see yourself 5 years from now. Pat came the response: “Back in India ma’am, setting up my own food factory.” He laughs thinking back at his risky response. “But my boss who interviewed me, laughed and gave me the job. She appreciated my honesty even though she knew I’d be heading back one day.”
Foray into the Future
Today Daily Farmer is housed in a 9000 sq.ft factory. They’re completely bootstrapped, with 10 employees. All wearing multiple hats, especially the founder. While Ramnivash is looking to scale his company without increasing prices, he does prefer at least for now, to stick to his bootstrap business model. “Maybe I’ve watched too many Shark Tank shows, where investors bring in their own value system to the products they’re putting their money on. I’d rather work by myself to see where Daily Farmer is headed before I approach investors. The government has some very good loan programmes and subsidies that entrepreneurs like me can avail of. As of now I have my savings to work with. And no regrets to slow me down,” he smiles. Ramnivash is as enthused and energetic as when he returned from Australia. “I feel people have to come back to India and bring with them the systems that are successful in other countries. There are so many advances in technology, India is developing fast, but we need to maintain standards and quality. That is the knowledge I brought back. And Daily Farmer is doing it one brand at a time. We don’t want to be the biggest brands but want to be the most trusted brand.”
Daily Farmer is available at supermarkets and gourmet stores in Chennai and Coimbatore. Look for these special varieties, among a wide range of high-quality health products:
- Damask Rose Gulkand
- Date powder for babies
- Raw Kerala banana powder for babies
- Magic beetroot powder
- Magic peanut chutney powder
- Coconut jaggery and dates powder
- Dates powder and Lakadong Turmeric
- Dry garlic granules
- Spray dried tomato powder
