Engineer builds Rs 1.5 crore millet business with Rs 3,500 investment

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After Tushar Talware graduated with a mechanical engineering degree, COVID-19 was already taking over the world. With hiring freezes at most companies, he decided to build a career for himself instead of waiting for job opportunities. His interest in healthy living had already influenced his lifestyle, from using chemical-free personal care products to consciously choosing healthier food. “One of my college roommates when I was studying in Navi Mumbai suggested that I explore a career in the healthy food segment given my focus on wellness. That became the starting point of my entrepreneurial journey,” Tushar tells 30Stades. Discovering the potential of millets Tushar’s idea to work in the healthy food space took a concrete shape after he attended a seminar by renowned millet researcher Dr Khadar Vali at IIT Powai. The lecture introduced him to the nutritional value and untapped commercial potential of millets. Also Read: How this Haryana woman built a Rs 70 lakh turnover millet food business “While alternatives existed for almost every food category, millet-based products were relatively uncommon in the market back then. I attended more seminars and online courses to understand the crop, its health benefits and its supply chain,” he says. Fudonik's Nashik plant is run by eight women who also prepare spices in-house. Pic: Fudonik He decided to enter the business in the simplest possible way by trading whole millets, and his initial investment was only Rs 3500. Today, he sells millet pasta, noodles, flour, snacks, khakra and other items to wholesale and retail customers. Tushar’s startup, which sells under the Fudonik brand, clocked Rs 1.5 crore in revenues in FY26. The Rs 3,500 experiment In mid-2020, when COVID had changed the world, Tushar was at home in Nashik, Maharashtra. He purchased five varieties of millets from a farmer in Tamil Nadu. “I ordered just 5 kg of each variety - kodo, foxtail, little, barnyard and brown top millets from a farmer connected through Dr Vali's network. I spent Rs 3,500 in all,” he says. Also Read: Engineer quits job to process millets; annual revenues cross Rs 1 crore The first batch was largely meant for testing. His family and friends sampled the grains, and he sold about 10 kg through personal contacts. “The response from all users was excellent. It convinced me there was genuine interest in healthier grains,” Tushar recalls. Some of the millet-based products from Fudonik. Pic: Fudonik Selling from home during lockdown For the second order, Tushar increased the quantity to 20 kg of each little millet variety. For marketing, he shared product details across WhatsApp groups and relied entirely on word-of-mouth recommendations. “The country was under lockdown, and logistics were limited. India Post was one of the few services operating, so every order was packed at home in 1 kg pouches and dispatched through the postal network,” he says. He also spotted a pricing gap. Many sellers were charging nearly Rs 1,200 for 5 kg of millets. “Since my procurement cost was only around Rs 400 for the same quantity, I priced my packs at Rs 700, including postal charges and a profit margin. This made healthy food far more affordable while still earning a reasonable margin,” Tushar recollects. Also Read: Jodhpur entrepreneur builds Rs1.5 crore millet cookies business, exports to Gulf countries The strategy worked. Orders started arriving from customers across India and Tushar was convinced about the potential of millet business. It took Tushar many months to perfect the recipe of millet khakra. Pic: Fudonik Scaling with a rented room As volumes increased, operating from his home on the second floor became difficult. Tushar rented a room on the ground floor of a bungalow in Nashik for just Rs 2,000 per month and shifted packaging and dispatch operations there. For nearly two years, this modest workspace served as the headquarters of his growing business. "By then, people wanted more than whole grains. They were asking for millet flour, rava, pasta, noodles, sevai and other convenient products,” the millet entrepreneur says. Rather than investing immediately in manufacturing, Tushar adopted an asset-light approach. “I partnered with contract manufacturers who produced these items while I focused on branding, sales and distribution. So the business grew rapidly,” he adds. His turnover was Rs 1.5 lakh in 2020. By 2021, annual revenue had climbed to approximately Rs 12 lakh. Also Read: This MBA quit her Singapore job to become a millet entrepreneur; earns Rs12 lakh a month Expanding the product range As consumer awareness of millets increased, Tushar expanded further. “By 2023, I introduced products such as millet chiwda, flakes and other snack items through contract manufacturing. The rising business prompted me to move operations into a rented bungalow, providing more storage and workspace,” he says. Participation in exhibitions helped Tushar expand sales and brand visibility. Pic: Fudonik Around the same time, he came across the Central Government's PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme. Instead of manufacturing products already available in the market, Tushar wanted to create something different. “I chose millet khakra and now offer it in 15 varieties,” he says. Building a manufacturing facility With support under the PMFME scheme, including a subsidy of Rs 10 lakh, Tushar leased farmland, constructed a manufacturing unit and invested in machinery. The plant became operational in 2025. But starting production proved challenging because industrial-scale millet khakra recipes did not exist. “Early batches failed repeatedly as the dough stuck to machines and refused to form proper khakras. Food consultants suggested adding binders and additives, but I wanted to keep the product completely natural,” he says. For some months, his team experimented daily with 20 kg batches of millet flour to make khakra. “The minimum capacity of the machinery needed 20kg of flour. We must have tried with over 2,000 kg of flour over some months,” he says. Eventually, they developed a recipe that required no preservatives, additives or artificial binders. “Our khakras are made using millet flour and wheat flour, while ingredients such as khandsari sugar, pink salt and Lakadong turmeric replace conventional refined ingredients,” he says. The company also prepares its own spice blends in-house after cleaning and grading whole spices to maintain quality. Eight women run the unit. Rather than launching immediately, Tushar spent another six months collecting customer feedback. His team distributed free samples at exhibitions, organised tasting sessions and refined the recipe based on consumer responses before sending the final product for laboratory testing. Only after completing this process did Fudonik officially launch its millet khakra in June 2025. Today, Fudonik continues to sell whole millets, flour, rawa, poha and several value-added millet products. While noodles and pasta are still sourced through contract manufacturing, the company's own factory produces millet khakra and millet chiwda. “We want to launch millet cookies next year,” he says. The business now primarily focuses on B2B sales, while continuing to serve around 2,500 direct retail customers built during its early years. (Riya Singh is a Ranchi-based journalist who writes on environment, farming, sustainability, startups, & women empowerment.) Also Read: This IITian quit job to become a millet entrepreneur; clocks Rs2.5 crore in revenue Look up our YouTube Channel