Parth Birendra & Sahil Chopra

How School Friends Happily Drove Us to Drink More Fresh Milk - Naturally!

How School Friends Happily Drove Us to Drink More Fresh Milk - Naturally! From delivering just ~20 liters of milk to their neighborhood apartment block on their first day of operations, the Happy Nature entrepreneurs now oversee a farm-fresh foods brand that delivers 2000 liters of milk equivalent through their dairy and non-dairy products daily to customers’ doorsteps. Their brand is now recognized as a significant player in the premium milk industry in the city. At the heart of the Happy Nature brand is a serious commitment towards quality of products & service through a strong focus on the entire value chain - From production to processing and finally to delivery – best quality standards and hygiene are maintained across all touch-points. While milk continues to be their anchor product, they have expanded their product-base by adding other dairy products (ghee, paneer, and cheese) and non-dairy essentials such as artisan bread, premium eggs, natural honey and hydroponic salad leaves to their portfolio. All products are healthy, natural, and free from harmful chemicals & adulteration. "We have moved rapidly from when we first set up in October 2018, and now have an annual turnover of about 5 Cr," commented Parth, who with Sahil, is an alumni of Don Bosco School, Delhi. Both are Engineers and MBAs - Parth from AIM, Manila, and Sahil from DCE, Delhi & XLRI Jamshedpur.​

With one of the few integrated delivery companies of milk and associated fresh products in New Delhi, the company has attracted additional investments. It has since merged with Doozy Farms in Chandigarh and Wise Cow, in Gurgaon, to offer a complete Delhi NCR region-wide presence.​ It's a far cry from when Parth and Sahil first began to exchange business ideas in one of their regular weekly calls while working in different parts of the world as management consultants.

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Discussions narrowed down to farm-fresh, healthy food products. Parth added: "We realized no single company in the food space was catering to the various breakfast table requirements. Consumers had to buy from multiple vendors and various brands to complete their breakfast basket. That's where our opportunity lay." Having both worked as corporate strategy consultants, they gained unique insights and experience into the global world of sales and operations strategy. They were joined by Vishal Rastogi, at Happy Nature as a company director, and crucially with significant experience in the dairy industry. He also had a strong IT background with an engineering degree from IIT Roorkee and MBA from IIFT, Delhi.​ The team began small and local - experimenting in their hometown! "We began with farm-fresh cow's milk as our first product before expanding into other products, with the same commitment of serving the purest, freshest and healthiest food products available," Sahil said.

​ The entrepreneurs have also witnessed and served at every level of the business, including getting up at 4 am to personally manage and handle doorstep deliveries. "Having those foundation stones set right enabled us to build a strong and stable business structure for the future," added Parth.

Those early steps included raising their milk supplies to 200 litres daily within 4 months of starting operations, all thanks to them relentlessly attending every Diwali Mela and Christmas carnival in and around South Delhi. Sahil added: "Sitting on a stagnant volume was unacceptable and experiencing a drop-off in orders during summer months was quite unexpected & demotivating for a 6-month-old startup despite the fact that this pattern is inherent to such a business. We worked extra hard going door-to-door, expanding our coverage while keeping a check on our expenses to ensure that we kept growing.

​ Highlighting how they strive to set themselves apart from competitors, Sahil highlighted that our focus on not just product quality but also premium packaging, efficient delivery, and relentless focus on customer service is what sets us apart. Parth added that having the best-in-class facilities at the dairy farm was crucial to serving customers the best product in the market and differentiating our product from the commercially available milk brands: "Our cows are provided with the best health care facilities with regular check-ups performed by certified veterinary doctors. Any cow which falls sick is separated from the herd and provided specialized treatment. Milk from only the healthy cows is supplied to consumers." The hi-tech milking process involves automated milking, in-line pasteurization, and touch-free packaging eliminating human interference and the risk of adulteration. Daily lab tests further reinforce the commitment to providing 100% pure and natural milk. With the elimination of middlemen and with a robust cold chain that ensures the milk is delivered in the healthiest possible form within a few hours of milk production, Vishal said. Their in-house forecasting tools and methodologies also help to predict demand for milk accurately and accordingly plan for timely farm expansions. Parth commented: "Our startup is unique because we are the only doorstep delivery model company which serves such a wide variety of essential food products under one brand while maintaining the best possible standards of product quality, delivery service, and customer care”. "Our strong focus on a "customer-first" strategy ensures not just excellent service but also offers insights on future services and products that we can launch to make their lives even more convenient.", said Sahil