The interviews and reporting for this story had been carried out in 2024.
Whereas working by means of deadlines sitting at his big Bengaluru workplace, Hariom Nautiyal determined this was not the life he aspired to dwell. Having grown up within the quaint Barkot village in Dehradun, he deeply missed his carefree rural life.
“I disliked the concept of rat race, deadlines, and concern of dropping jobs throughout recessions. We lived in fixed concern. We even feared posting photos from holidays. I didn’t need this life,” he says in dialog with The Higher India.
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He shares that it was in the course of the recession of 2009 that he had landed a coveted job as an internet developer – a second of nice pleasure for him. Nonetheless, the cut-throat competitors and the fast-paced metropolis life left him craving for a extra fulfilling existence.
“Whereas dwelling within the metropolis, my best treasure may have solely been buying a 3BHK however I wouldn’t have lived a full life. I needed to maneuver again residence,” he provides.
Hariom labored as a workforce lead when he finalised his resolution to maneuver again in 2013. Definitely, he says, it was not a simple resolution to pause a good-looking month-to-month wage, depart metro cities behind and begin some other work from scratch, particularly in a village.
Nonetheless, his daring transfer resulted in his personal enterprise enterprise named ‘Dhanya Dhenu’ which sells all kinds of dairy merchandise equivalent to milk, ghee, paneer, curd, mawa, together with 15 sorts of pickles and candies, and at the least 20 forms of ice lotions.
Right here’s how he has established a multi-crore empire regardless of staunch opposition.
From metropolis workplace to cowshed
When Hariom got here again and broke the information of quitting the town job, it invited numerous criticism from villagers. They began calling him nikamma (ineffective) and pagal (loopy). “I finished attending any native occasions. Individuals would give my instance to youngsters and say that in the event that they give up research, they might find yourself like me,” he shares.
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Upset with the criticism, he constructed a everlasting shelter and cowshed, adjoining to his residence. There, he discovered solace. “We had a pet cow with its small calf. I’d play with the calf and they might come to me for pets. I used to be essentially the most relaxed of their firm versus being round people the place I felt suffocated,” he provides.
Hariom determined to observe his coronary heart’s calling and ventured into dairy farming – a call that originally drew scepticism and mock from the group. Beginning with a modest funding of ten cows, he began promoting milk to locals.
“But it surely was not straightforward. Many of the cows had been lactating on the similar time. I’d have 50-60 litres of surplus milk every single day. Everyone had some common milk sellers, so I had no alternative however to provide away milk to individuals totally free,” he provides.
His day began at 2am when he would milk the cows and transfer out in hope of constructing some gross sales. On a fortunate day, he would make Rs 9 revenue whereas more often than not, milk was given away totally free.
“My dad and mom would distribute milk to neighbours. Whereas they might readily settle for the free milk, they might not lose the prospect to mock me both. I had nothing to say to them then,” he provides.
Rs 9 to Rs 5,000 day by day earnings
Decided to show his detractors flawed, Hariom continued and progressively gained over the hearts of rural ladies and dairy farmers who noticed potential in his imaginative and prescient. “After I began making some gross sales, these dairy farmers requested me to not purchase extra animals and as an alternative procure milk regionally and contribute to boosting their revenue,” he provides.
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By 2016, Hariom had established a milk assortment centre in his village and tapped into authorities subsidies to assist dairy initiatives, notably benefiting marginalised teams like ladies from scheduled castes and tribes, widows, and people under the poverty line.
By making certain high quality assurance by means of common checks and natural fodder provide for his animals, Hariom constructed a popularity for excellence and integrity in his enterprise. “To develop belief amongst clients, I distributed free lactometers and promised them if the studying was lower than 26 (signifying regular milk density), I’d give the milk totally free that day,” he provides.
This easy technique labored for him. As we speak, he sells 250 litres of milk day by day to individuals in Dehradun and Rishikesh.
Beena Silswal, a homemaker who lives in Rishikesh, has been an everyday buyer of Dhanya Dhenu for the previous 9 years.
Sharing her expertise, she says, “I buy two litres of milk every single day from Hariom. Initially, he gave me a lactometre to check the standard of the milk. I discover that this milk doesn’t have a foul odor and can also be not adulterated. My youngsters are additionally very keen on the pallar that he makes. Every time they arrive residence from Delhi, I pack these bottles for them.”
Innovating additional, Hariom utilised the excess milk to supply a spread of dairy merchandise like mawa, ice cream, rabri, faluda, pallar (desi fermented drink made with buttermilk), diversifying his choices and capturing native market demand. Afterward, he additionally launched a wide selection of pickles to develop the enterprise.
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In all, he makes a revenue of Rs 2 crore yearly together with his firm by promoting the merchandise regionally and in commerce gala’s and thru distribution channels. He additionally employs 500 individuals from 15 villages together with Falsuwa, Ghamauli, and Barkot.
Regardless of the monetary success that adopted, Hariom stays grounded and emphasises the significance of arduous work and perseverance past mere financial good points.
“I can’t overlook the preliminary six months of beginning my enterprise. It might be disheartening at any time when I’d sit and rely my month-to-month bills on inexperienced fodder vs gross sales. There was a time once I was hardly incomes Rs 9 per day as revenue. As we speak, I make Rs 5,000 earnings day by day from milk alone. If I had not believed in myself and didn’t preserve my endurance, I’d not have come this far,” he says.
As we speak, Hariom’s dairy enterprise not solely thrives but additionally displays the untapped potential and promise of rural entrepreneurship in India. “Working from my village residence has been extraordinarily handy for me. Not solely am I respiration pure air and consuming nutritious meals, I’ve been in a position to earn a good livelihood for myself and empower my village group concurrently,” he provides.
All photographs: Hariom Nautiyal
