Abstract
After gaining sound work knowledge abroad, Harsha Moily (Harsha), returned to India with a clear vision to build an organisation focused on creating income-generating opportunities for rural people. In 2006, he established MokshaYug Access (MYA), a limited company based in Karnataka, India with a seed capital of $2 million. Being a rural supply chain solutions company, MYA was committed to create an organised platform in rural areas by linking such platform to urban parts in India. For its Dairy Business Vertical, MYA procured milk from rural dairy farmers in various districts of Karnataka and sold the same to the institutional buyers. In this process, MYA implemented a scientific and technology-based approach, whereby MYA focused on increasing yield per cattle per day and improving quality of milk. To achieve this, MYA emphasised on deep engagement with the dairy farmers by making them aware about the best practices in the dairy farming and animal husbandry. Moving ahead, in late 2012, under ‘Farmer-to-Consumer Connect’ initiative, MYA launched its retail milk brand ‘Milk Route’ in Bangalore.
In addition, it also started selling fruits and vegetables under ‘The Good Chain’ retail stores. Identifying the strength in the business model, MYA was successful in securing private equity funds. But, experts felt that MYA was in direct competition with Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) and Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), dominant players in dairy business in India. In addition, availability of manpower, convincing rural dairy farmers to switch to MYA and creation of brand was key challenges ahead for MYA. With such innovative practices, how MYA takes its operation to the next level of growth remained to be seen.
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