Ravi Tilekar
Started in 2016 to promote healthy eating, improvise sustainable farming practices, and inculcate organic living amongst an increasingly discerning audience that was getting disillusioned and disconnected with the food they eat. The team wanted to bring back that special and almost sacred connection that the human body has with food. Their tag line – Go Organic, (For Customers to choose organic) Grow Organic (For farmers to choose ethical farming practices) reiterates this message.
It started with supporting one gaushala and one woman – Richa Bagrodia who championed the benefits of Desi Gir Cow’s A2 milk products. She strongly believed that every kitchen should have a natural product that our bodies can benefit from. She started by supplying hand churned vedic processed ghee and increased her circle of knowledge share by educating everyone on the importance of cow milk, its dung and urine and its importance in farming. Listening and learning intently was her niece – Dharmishtha Goenka. She dreamt the dream with Richa, added her marketing savviness to the idea and took the concept out into a larger world.
Richa left for her heavenly abode at the age of 34 in 2014 but inspired the next generation to move ahead with confidence and conviction in the mission.
Dharmishtha was joined by Sachit Subramanian, Aghalya Ramasamy who too were inspired by the ethical foundations Praakritik stood on!
Each member brought in a different set of talents to the growing team that crystallized its mission and enhanced its quality and reach. The team aims to create an ecosystem of availability and affordability for consumers who want to go organic while ensuring a direct connect to the farmer who grows that food for you, while promising his/ her fair share. All the produce at Praakritik is certified organic and 100% natural.
Their farms are spread across the villages of Maharashtra and Gujarat where they create systematic plans with the farmers to cultivate a variety of organic produce that is local and chemical free! They provide support to several farmers and gaushalas helping them bring in clean, natural and organic methods of production. Each farmer has been trained to cultivate their soil and make it pesticide-free for organic farming. The soil is also tested regularly to ensure that the food quality is intact.
Together, they continue to spread education to farmers and consumers on how to go and grow organic. One step at a time.
Leadership Founding Team Profiles
Dharmishtha Goenka
A graduate of IIM – A , Dharmishtha also has a degree in Entrepreneurship and Leadership from Kings College, London. She lives her life with the mission of improving the lives of farmers and consumers. Team organization and leadership come naturally to her.
An eye for details, and passion for getting the job done – is the culture she has set for her team! Kindness goes a long way and she imbibes this in her company culture as she takes the team forwards towards their common goal. Grown up in a business family she gained invaluable experience on human management in business which is the core of any business. She draws her inspiration from her grandfather’s teachings and his faith in Praakritik. Whenever stuck – she sits back and thinks- what would he do?
An intriguing movie, mind grappling thriller novels and off-beat travels is how she spends her personal time!
Aghalya Ramasamy
With an MBA in Sales and Marketing from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune has also worked in the corporate sector in Sales and Marketing. With experience spanning modern retail and FMCG sales for over 5 years, she leads the business development and new growth markets at Praakritik.
The world of retail, the thrill of making a sale and the challenge of changing the customer’s mindset is what drive her to move to the next level. Aghalya lives by a passionate life motto – grow them with love, protect them fiercely. Both in life and at work.
Sachit Subramanian
Sachit comes with a graduate and post-graduate degree in Mass Media and Entertainment from the University of Westminister, London. With over a decade of entrepreneurial experience in the field of electronics, media and event planning, Sachit brings to the table a variety of skills that includes operations, global policies and business planning.
Sachit is very passionate about business and new startups. In his free time, he likes to study and analyse emerging starts up growth across verticals to identify the key factors that lead to success. He is also passionate about traveling and spends a good deal of his time exploring the unknown.
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