When 23-year-old multimedia graduate Josemon saw farmers in his hometown of Manakkanad in Kottayam struggling to sell their surplus vegetables before they spoiled, he realised the potential of setting up a unit to dry the vegetables. What began as a solution to help the local farmers has now grown into a thriving agri-startup for Josemon, generating an annual revenue of Rs 25 lakh.
Despite having no formal background in agriculture or food technology, Josemon took a bold step in 2023 by investing Rs nine lakh to set up a state-of-the-art dehydration unit. His facility now dries over 2,000 kilograms of produce every month, preserving seasonal harvests like jackfruit, tapioca, banana, coconut, and even meat.
“I used to watch farmers watching their vegetables rot in yards, simply because there were no buyers for the produce at certain times. That’s when I realized dehydration could be a solution,” said Josemon, who decided to make use of a small dryer which had been bought by his father Chakochan a few years earlier. His experiment to dry coconut and banana using the dryer became a hit among the local farmers and more started coming to him to dry their excess vegetables.
Today, his startup dries the vegetables after they are cleaned and sliced**,** ensuring long shelf life without preservatives. Josemon also started a brand under the name JME Enterprises for selling the dried items which are freshly dried and packaged.
“The biggest challenge was building trust—both with farmers and customers,” he said. “But once they saw the quality of the dried products and the fair prices we offered, the support grew rapidly,” Josemon told “Open Digest“.
Josemon now plans to expand operations and export dried fruits and vegetables to the Middle East. “Helping farmers was my goal. I never imagined it could also become a successful business,” he said with a smile.
