Студент из Насика превратил 3500 рупий в бизнес на просо с годовым оборотом 1,5 коры

Sometimes, the biggest opportunities appear when plans fall apart. For many graduates, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of their careers. But for Tushar Talware, it marked the beginning of one. Instead of waiting for the job market to recover, the mechanical engineering graduate decided to build something of his own. With just Rs 3,500 investment, he began selling millets from his home in Nashik during the lockdown. What started as a small experiment has since grown into Fudonik, a millet food brand that now records Rs 1.5 crore in annual revenue. The company sells millet khakras (thin, crisp whole-wheat flatbread, a healthy, guilt-free snack), noodles, pasta, flour, snacks and several other products to customers across India. In an interview with 30Stades, he said, “One of my college roommates when I was studying in Navi Mumbai suggested that I explore a career in the healthy food segment given my focus on wellness. That became the starting point of my entrepreneurial journey.” Tushar’s interest in healthy food soon turned into a business idea after he attended a seminar by renowned millet researcher Dr Khadar Vali at IIT Bombay in Powai. The session introduced him to the nutritional value of millets and made him realise that very few millet-based products were available in the market at the time. To understand the sector better, he attended more seminars and completed online courses to learn about millet cultivation, its health benefits and the supply chain. Rather than making a large investment, Tushar decided to test the idea on a small scale. In mid-2020, while staying at his home in Nashik during the lockdown, he invested Rs 3,500 to buy 5 kg each of five millet varieties from a farmer in Tamil Nadu through Dr Khadar Vali's network. Positive feedback from family, friends and early buyers encouraged him to increase his next order to 20 kg of each variety. Getting customers was only one part of the challenge. Delivering products during the nationwide lockdown was another. With logistics heavily affected, Tushar promoted his products through WhatsApp groups and word-of-mouth recommendations. India Post was among the few services operating at the time, so every order was packed by hand at home into one-kilogram pouches before being shipped to customers across the country. While studying the market, he noticed that many sellers charged nearly Rs 1,200 for five kilograms of millets. Since his procurement cost was much lower, he decided to keep his prices affordable. “Since my procurement cost was only around Rs 400 for the same quantity, I priced my packs at Rs 700, including postal charges and a profit margin. This made healthy food far more affordable while still earning a reasonable margin,” he recalled. The pricing strategy worked. Orders started arriving from different parts of India, giving him confidence that the business had long-term potential. As demand grew, Talware shifted operations to a rented room in Nashik costing Rs 2,000 a month. Seeing rising demand for convenient millet products, he partnered with contract manufacturers to produce flour, pasta, noodles and other items, while focusing on branding, sales and distribution. The approach helped the company expand quickly. Its turnover stood at Rs 1.5 lakh in 2020, before rising to around Rs 12 lakh in 2021. By 2023, Fudonik had expanded its portfolio to include millet chiwda, flakes and other snack products. As the business expanded, Talware secured a Rs 10 lakh subsidy under the Centre's PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme. Instead of making common millet products, he set up a manufacturing unit in 2025 to produce 15 varieties of millet khakra. Setting up the factory was only the beginning. Producing millet khakras at scale turned out to be much harder than expected. “Early batches failed repeatedly as the dough stuck to machines and refused to form proper khakras. Food consultants suggested adding binders and additives, but I wanted to keep the product completely natural,” he said. Talware's team spent months perfecting the recipe, using over 2,000 kg of millet flour before achieving the desired result. The final khakras are made without preservatives, additives or artificial binders, while the company also prepares its own spice blends to maintain consistent quality. Eight women now run Fudonik’s manufacturing unit in Nashik. Before launching its millet khakras, the company spent six months gathering customer feedback and completing laboratory tests. Today, it manufactures khakras and chiwda in-house, serves around 2,500 retail customers, and is expanding its B2B business. Looking ahead, Tushar plans to expand the product range further. “We want to launch millet cookies next year,” he said. What began as a small lockdown experiment with Rs 3,500 has today grown into a Rs 1.5 crore business. Disclaimer: This article is based on reports from third-party media outlets. Moneycontrol has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated! Find the best of Al News in one place, specially curated for you every weekend. Stay on top of the latest tech trends and biggest startup news.