Green Leaf Energy directors (from left) Kunal Gangwani, Diwakar Kaushik and Kshitij Datta Rishi at Fruit Press kiosk in DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon
Green Leaf Energy (GLE) Pvt. Ltd, the Gaya-based start-up begun in 2009 under the guidance of leading business school XLRI's Entrepreneurship Development Centre, has ventured into virgin territory. It has set up a new arm, GLE Food & Beverages Pvt. Ltd, to sell fresh fruit juice under the brand 'Fruit Press'. Retailers of packaged fruit juice, aerated drinks, ayurvedic drinks, shakes and smoothies (milk-based drinks) there are aplenty, but fruit juice freshly prepared has so far had no player from the organised sector.
GLE started by cultivating plantations of pongamia, a plant which grows on wasteland and whose seeds produce biodiesel. The project sought to utilize wasteland as well as provide employment in eight districts of Bihar. Supported by the union ministry of rural development and the state government, it clocked revenues of Rs 28 crore in 2012/13.
Why would a bio-fuel plantation company venture into fresh fruit juice retailing? "GLE is expanding into the food and beverages sector to complete the horticulture value chain," says Kumar Ankit, Executive Director and Co-founder of the company. The first Fruit Press outlet opened in June this year at DLF Cyber City in Gurgaon.
Four directors run the company, all management graduates from XLRI, Jamshedpur. Kunal Gangwani takes care of the research, marketing and quality control, Kshitij Datta Rishi manages the operations and human resources, Diwakar Kaushik markets the product as well as its expansion and Kumar Ankit oversees all operations.
Fruit Press, which now has three outlets in Cyber City, is targeting office-goers and mall visitors, especially during summers. For a 300 ml glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice, the minimum charge is Rs 52, while street-side shops charge Rs 30 to 40 for the same amount. Some juices, such as pomegranate or apple, cost more. So far demand has matched expectations, 280 glasses a day, against the 300 hoped for. "There's always room for expansion within the same logistics in case our demand increases," says GLE's Diwakar Kaushik, who markets the product.
Fruit Press hopes to expand operations to five outlets in Gurgaon in August. By 2014, it will partner with organisations like TCS and Infosys for operations in their offices, as well as move into other cities such as Chandigarh and Pune.
BT