She started her entrepreneurial journey at 22, just fresh out of college, and is working with farmers to bring organic staples to our kitchens. Likhita Bhanu is the founder and Director of Terra Greens Organic, an organic food company started by Terrafirma Projects Pvt. Ltd, a horticultural and real estate company based in Hyderabad.
Conceptualised on the lines of purity and quality, the brand stands for healthy and tasty organic food. In addition to that, the company aims to revive sustainable agricultural practices in India through organic farming by marrying traditional knowledge with modern technology.
Early exposure
Born in Hyderabad and brought up in Assam, Likhita had seen her mother carry seeds of vegetables from Hyderabad and grow them in their garden in Assam. “She would grow the vegetables that we used to get in Andhra. The equatorial climate in Assam was conducive, so she could grow everything from bananas to gongura,” she says.
Even when they returned to Hyderabad, her mother’s love for growing her own produce persisted, and she started doing organic farming on family-owned farms. “My mother has always been driven towards agriculture, and organic cultivation was her hobby. We used to grow the produce and distribute it to our family and friends. Whenever we had an excess, we’d give them to local organic shops,” she says.
Terra Greens Organic
Entrepreneurship happened by chance. Likhita, who had graduated as a Biotechnology Engineer from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in 2010, took a year off. During this time, it just so happened that their family farm had abundant produce one season. “It was more than we could use, so we decided to sell it. It was like solving a problem, and before I knew it, I was a businesswoman.”
Thereafter, the mother and daughter duo decided to start a brand to market the farm produce that farmers were growing, and Terra Greens Organic was born.
“Terra in French means ‘Earth’, and Terragreens means ‘food from the earth’, which is unadulterated and pure. My mother, Padmaja Bhanu, and I are the founders of the company.”
Likhita helps farmers not just with organic farming methods but also with certification, and enables the buy-back of their produce. They started in 2013 with 300 farmers, and over the years, they have tried to get 1,000 farmers into the network every year.
