Australia Awards South and West Asia

Chayaa Nanjappa Rajappa from India is the Founder and Managing Partner of Nectar Fresh, and the first woman entrepreneur in the country to have set up a honey processing plant. She completed the Australia Awards Short Course on Women Trading Globally delivered by the Export Council of Australia in 2019. In March 2022, she was honoured as the Emerging Woman Entrepreneur by Shri Narayan Rane, the Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Chayaa is also the National President of the Association of Businesswomen in Commerce and Industry, as well as the State Vice President of Laghu Udyog Bharati, the country’s leading organisation working for micro and small enterprises.

To mark International Women’s Day 2024, we asked Chayaa some questions about her work. Her answers below provide great insights into the world of this social entrepreneur.

Can you tell us about the work that you do and how it contributes to the development of India?

Nectar Fresh was set up during the lowest phase of my life. I started it from scratch without the guidance of a mentor or experience in the field. Today, Nectar Fresh is a rural social enterprise (backed by the Khadi & Village Industries Board) that empowers rural and tribal communities as well as small farmers. My wide knowledge in understanding agriculture, food processing and marketing has successfully brought together farmers, the food industry and consumers. Currently, Nectar Fresh empowers numerous tribal communities, small farmers and under-educated rural people by employing them and providing skills development.

My innovation of preparing portion-defined products in high-quality packaging material and bottles has reclaimed an Indian presence in the market, which was dominated by international players for the previous two decades. To get additional sources of income for small farmers, Nectar Fresh has now diversified into many other agri-based food products. Since the brand Nectar Fresh is synonymous with health and wellness, it has launched natural jams without any additives or preservatives, natural coffee, locally-grown superfoods (chia seeds, flax seeds and seed cocktails), apple cider vinegar, mother vinegar and high-quality spices, with the intention of supporting local farmers from across the country. Nectar Fresh celebrates the synergy between nature, farmers, undereducated rural communities and the food industry to offer high-nutrition quality food products to the market.

My motivation to work for tribal and rural empowerment is that I too come from a tribal community, and I am a farmer.

How have you contributed to your community through Nectar Fresh?

With the support of Nectar Fresh, over the past decade there has been an enormous transformation in the lives of the underprivileged and their living conditions, healthcare and education of their children. They have been given guidance to grow superfoods as an additional source of income and the produce is procured by Nectar Fresh at a highly competitive price. This plays a small but vital role in stopping rural people from feeling that they need to migrate to urban areas in pursuit of income.

Nectar Fresh has also helped tribal and rural communities with training to manufacture world-class products. We have introduced new products such as pickles, peanut butter, spirulina bars and sachets for the hospitality sector. These products will be produced by rural women, with priority given to single mothers taking care of their children.

During the first wave of the worst phase of COVID-19, while the global economy was on the verge of collapse, I took my vision of empowering tribal and rural communities to the next level by applying for a loan to promote handcrafted tribal and rural artisan products from across India. This venture is now all set to be launched in March 2024 and will support and empower more than 3,000 tribal and rural artisans. Because the business model does not involve ‘middlemen’, the profits will go directly to the artisans.

This new venture is called NAMAN (which refers in Sanskrit to gratitude towards the tribal and rural artisans for their deep-rooted values of manufacturing sustainable and eco-friendly products). I have secured a showroom/store of 6800 sq. ft. on the busiest part of the Bangalore–Mysore highway, because Mysore, Ooty and Coorg are becoming sought-after tourist destinations. I am determined to develop NAMAN into a franchise and make it a global brand. I have also been supporting rural self-help groups by purchasing their products directly from them and promoting them in both the local and international markets. I am one of the largest buyers from tribal communities in the country. I source around 100 tons of honey a month from all across the country.

Nectar Fresh’s next product line (in association with a prestigious Research and Development institute), vacuum fried vegetables, will also be an all-women initiative involving women farmers and women workers.

What motivated you to apply for the Australia Awards Short Course on Women Trading Globally?

One of the main reasons I applied for the Australia Awards Short Course was that I was keen to expand my exports, since all my products meet international standards, and I felt that my visit to Australia—combined with my practical experience and knowledge—could help me achieve this goal.

The Australia Awards Short Course was a blessing that supported my vision to create more impact and empower many more tribal and rural people. I wanted to learn more in Australia, visit women entrepreneurs, learn about new technologies for increased productivity and see for myself which products are in demand, as well as learn about better packaging and aesthetics, which are very important to increase the volume of products sold. I believe that merely sustaining a social enterprise may not be enough in the long term: scaling up the business is vital to truly make a transformation among rural villages and the tribal belts. Hence, I feel that my visit to Australia was a turning point for my business.

How has participating in the Short Course contributed to your career? 

The training program in Australia helped me transform numerous tribal and small farmers, which helped Nectar Fresh grow during the worst phase of COVID-19. After coming back from Australia, I implemented all that I learnt, especially the importance of maintaining the highest level of quality and of tapping the market for superfoods and natural products. This knowledge helped me diversify into superfoods, such as chia, flax seeds, seed cocktails, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, muskmelon seeds and many more. This diversification helped create employment and supported numerous tribal and small farmers as we sourced and procured the crops directly from them during the pandemic, especially while the country was in lockdown. Once the lockdown was eased, I implemented my experience learnt in Australia to take the brand to the next level.

The growth of Nectar Fresh during the pandemic was recognised by NITI Aayog, which is the policy influencing body of the Government of India. I was honoured with the very prestigious Woman Transforming India award. The skills and knowledge I gained from the Australia Awards Short Course helped me guide numerous entrepreneurs all over the country through online talks and post-COVID-19 presence. In the past four years, I have addressed at least 30 major webinars and in-person talks that have influenced thousands of entrepreneurs. My new venture, NAMAN, was also planned with the knowledge that I gained from the Short Course.

My heartful gratitude and appreciation goes to the Australia Awards Short Course on Women Trading Globally and the Australian Government for helping me grow my brand, transforming many lives in rural and underprivileged communities.

Which groups does your work benefit most?

Those supported by our venture are the tribal communities, rural people, small farmers and women’s self-help groups. More than 95% of the people who have been supported by us are from marginalised and underprivileged sections of society. The beneficiaries not only have been empowered, but also stay connected to their roots and have a choice of continuing the same profession as their ancestors and yet have a better standard of living. They no longer have to move to the cities looking for better opportunities.

What are the challenges that you faced while starting the business?

I had a lot of challenges convincing financial institutions to support me. Marketing and logistics were another major problem. Procurement of raw materials was not an easy task either. Sourcing packaging material was a challenge and so was sourcing skilled workers.

I overcame these challenges through determination to sustain my social ventures. Knowing the limitations of the financial support I received from banks, I started small and then scaled up. Today, thanks to the growth of my business, the same financial organisations are ready to back me at much higher levels for any future ventures.

Do you have any key messages to young aspiring social entrepreneurs?

Never give up, even as you face the worst challenges. Nothing that comes on a platter is worth it. Have faith in yourself and work extremely hard to make your dreams come true. There is nothing more satisfying than inclusive growth where you make the entire ecosystem part of your growth story.