At a time when people are running around a secure career, two brothers Satyajit and Ajinkya Hange left that life behind and pursued their passion for farming. Today with their venture Two Brothers Organic Farm, they have become an inspiration to many like them
Frank Tyger once said, “When you like your work, every day is a holiday.” And, Satyajit Hange of Two Brothers Organic Farm couldn’t agree more. He has been pursuing farming since 2014, something he is insanely passionate about, and says that even without a single holiday to date, he feels like he’s on a continuous vacation. His is a story of inspiration, a story of a successful career transformation. And, here’s how it goes.
The Origin
Satyajit and his brother Ajinkya both belong to an agricultural family from a village, Bhodani in Maharashtra. Believing that there is no money in the sector, the brothers were brought up in the city of Pune away from the farming and rural lifestyle. However, their deep agricultural roots secretly made them desire a life on the farm, whenever they visited their village as kids. As they grew older the desire within only became stronger. Their family however didn’t see agriculture as a promising career choice, so they both pursued MBA and began working. “We never had the guts to pursue farming as we had secure jobs and were perfectly on the path that the society had conditioned us to be on,” recalls Satyajit talking to Handi Talks.
After moving cities and working for a few years, the brothers began to question themselves if they were even on the right path. Soon figuring out their true calling, both Satyajit and Ajinkya decided to quit their jobs. “Many people suggested we continue working and pursue farming post-retirement. But we didn’t want to waste our entire lives doing something we didn’t like and pursue our passion later. God knows how long we’ll live,” says Satyajit. And, so without wasting a minute the brothers put down their papers and shifted base to their village somewhere around the year 2013.
The Paradigm Shift
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Satyajit -
Ajinkya
They decided to pursue organic farming on the land they inherited from their forefathers. But, the path wasn’t easy as neither had any knowledge or training in farming. Their interest however made the duo meet different organic farmers, follow many people from around the world and do a lot of research. Learning and practicing the skills brought about a sense of clarity in them. And, thus began the journey of Two Brothers Organic Farm, which the brothers started in the year 2014.
Seven years down the line, the brand today sells around 30 organic products. The ingredients for which are all sourced from their 21 acres Ecocert certified land. Some raw materials also come from farmers across India with whom the Hange brothers have tied up. The products have a shelf life of around 6 months, claims Satyajit. He also adds that the Two Brothers Organic Farms products are all free from additives, preservatives, binders and artificial agents and colours. All the company’s products are made using age-old processes that the brothers learnt from the elders in their village. They also traveled extensively to places in and around Maharashtra to learn traditional processing techniques.
Organic all the way
Their product line includes products such as ghee, jaggery, spices, peanut butter, moringa powder and flours among others. All these products are grown organically and processed using traditional techniques. Pointing out the difference in their technique Hange says “Our Ghee is made in small batches and not using the industrial process. Instead, we hand milk our desi Gir cows, boil it on firewood, innoculate the boiled milk with fresh curd and leave it to settle overnight. The next day early morning between 4 to 6 a.m. we churn the curd to get butter and then melt it on firewood and prepare the ghee.” This method increases the nutritional value of the product. “Made using traditional ayurvedic process our ghee is unique,” he says. The company grinds its spices and flours in small batches on stone grinders instead of using industrial processing equipment.
Two Brothers Organic Farm products are available on their website and in passionately driven organic stores around the country. The company also caters to customers from more than 45 countries around the world says Hange.
Far-reaching influence
Satyajit and Ajinkya quit their lavish high paying jobs to pursue farming, something many want to do but can’t pluck up the courage for. However, the brothers have inspired many. Seeing them pursue their passion and realising there is a future in farming Satyajit says he gets calls asking him for advice. He says he has witnessed many in and around his circle take up farming since the brothers began seeing success.
What lies ahead
Two Brothers Organic Farm has had its share of challenges before establishing itself as a preferred organic brand in and outside India. First and foremost was the funding says Hange. Later they had to build trust among people for which they began marketing the product themselves as they had no staff. Today the brand however runs with a team of around 80 people. “The last 4 to 5 years have been awesome fun, we have learnt so much. In fact, these have been the best years of our lives,” says Hange.
As for their next steps, the brand aims to keep its product portfolio thin and increase it slowly in the coming years. Talking about future plans Satyajit says, “We will soon be starting a processing centre. We will also be investing in technology that will help our farmers run things in an efficient and effective manner. The company even plans to open a physical store or an experience centre in the United States to cater to our foreign clientele.”
