Simply Fresh to expand hydroponics farms in Telangana

With growing acceptance for the hydroponics produce, Simply Fresh now has lined up further investment of Rs 100 crore to expand operations.

Hyderabad: From a modest venture in hydroponics farming covering 10 acres in 2013, the Darbarwars have come a long way, expanding their business to cover an additional 150 acres in Siddipet.

The couple, while working with a group of botanists in Australia, hit upon the idea of taking up technology-enabled farming back home.

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Thus was born Simply Fresh. Sachin Darbarwar and his wife Shweta Darbarwar started the venture in nine acre near Shamirpet in 2013 to produce vegetables, fruits, and medicinal plants for retail and hotel, restaurants, and catering segments. It commenced exports in 2014 and have since extended their unique farm activity to 150 acre.

“We realised there is demand for clean products. People want traceable agricultural produce,” says Sachin, one of the co-founders and CEO of the company. In 2018, the company raised close to $ 20 million (Rs 148 crore now) through private equity investors. It then expanded the farming to a 150-acre facility in Arjunpatla near Siddipet.

“Simply Fresh was started with the objective of making available nutritious food that is free of chemicals and pesticides. Using hydroponics (soil-less farming technology), we are able to give consistent quality and freshness of produce,” he says.

With growing acceptance for the hydroponics produce, Simply Fresh now has lined up further expansion of operations. “We will develop additional greenhouse facilities in about 40 acre in Siddipet. Work on this will begin around December. We currently have greenhouse facilities in 22 acre,” he said, adding that the company operates Asia’s largest hydroponics facility from an acreage perspective.

In the third phase, which will be taken up next year, Simply Fresh will focus on strengthening the support infrastructure like the cold storage and processing units.

Simply Fresh uses farming technology based on artificial intelligence, climate engineering, and hydroponics. Rain-harvested water is stored in a man-made lake on the farm and its capacity suffices irrigation utility for up to six months. The green houses at Simply Fresh farms do not use coolants, air-conditioners or chemical-based cooling systems but work with evaporative cooling technology that creates an environment that’s cooler inside. The elevated roof, retractable structures, UV shields, and airways regulate the climate inside, says Sachin.

Simply Fresh is now producing about 8,000 kg of vegetables and fruits per day. In the fresh category, it is doing leafy greens, tomatoes, capsicum, and herbs. It exports some of them to Singapore and UK and has sent samples to other markets and is hoping for a nod shortly. In the nutraceuticals segment, it grows ashwagandha, turmeric and others. Simply Fresh seeds and harvests every day. Fertiliser usage is recycled and waste generated is converted into compost, which is used to replace part of the nutrient medium. It now employs about 200 people on the farm.

The retailers sell the hydroponics produce at 30 to 50 per cent premium due to its fresh and clean attributes. The products get washed, cleaned, and packed before finding their way to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, and Goa markets. SimplyFresh produce is traceable. The assigned QR code will give a timeline of its journey from when the seed was sown, how it was nurtured throughout the growth cycle, to who packed it. “You know exactly what you eat,” says Sachin.

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