Meet the Woman Entrepreneur Whose D2C Grocery Brand is Making Organic Food Accessible

Shriya Naheta Wadhwa returned to India in 2015 after graduating from the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, California, with a degree in International Relations and Global Business, and discovered that the majority of people have little to no access to organic produce grown across the country.

Determined to find a solution, she spent the following 1.5 years researching organic produce, farming, and the different sorts of goods that grow in India, as well as speaking with farmers about how to collaborate and create a sustainable future of farming.

It resulted in the establishment of Zama Organics in 2017.

When Shriya realized the variety of produce growing on the Indian subcontinent, she had a eureka moment.

According to her, Indian geography provides high-quality, clean produce that should be more widely available.

"Organizing the supply chain was a challenge in the beginning because organic commodities have a shorter shelf life and spoil easily owing to spoilage, infestation, or storage and handling issues."

I discovered this the hard way when I couldn't meet delivery deadlines. "With our source location in mind, we had to come up with solutions across the board — from logistics to storage to packaging," the 28-year-old entrepreneur reveals.

Zama Organics, situated in Mumbai, focuses on and contributes to the community's general health and welfare by promoting clean and green food.

In reality, Shriya used this idea to help her develop the startup's crew. The startup's goal is to create a healthy grocery brand that provides consumers with clean, organic produce.

Its revenue has been doubling year over year since its debut, according to the Shriya, and it is on the rise as the number of consumers grows.

Zama benefited from having a strong network of farmers and farmer organizations from which it obtained items like vegetables, fruits, spices, cereals, grains, and other foods.

In addition, the team collaborates with artisanal producers on a variety of different products, including bread and pickles, among other basics.

"I hired my first employees based on referrals and recommendations. We used IIM and other college networks later on. From core through delivery, we wanted everyone on our team to believe in Zama's vision of a healthy future.

"Right now, we're a group of 90 people who are passionate about food and its environmental impact," she explains.

The team is currently focused on increasing its geographical reach, with a 3X revenue gain expected. Although the organic market is currently small, it is expanding rapidly as customers become more mindful and aware.

"While organic products will always be more expensive than conventional, we anticipate that the gap will narrow with increased volume and demand."

"At the moment, we only have warehouses in Mumbai, from which we service the Mumbai and Pune regions," Shriya explains.