When Shivaji Kurhe sold his farm-grown turmeric to traders, he received only ₹130 per kilogram.
Despite the hard labour he put into farming and the insurmountable challenges he faced, the return was a paltry amount.
So he came up with a plan to sell directly to consumers through door-to-door sales with one simple change.
Instead of setting up a grinding machine at his home, he tried a new idea.
First, he takes orders from customers. Then he visits their homes with a grinding machine attached to his vehicle.
He grinds the turmeric right in front of them, so they can see that he hasn’t added any colours or adulterants.
Every customer who buys from him knows the quality of turmeric sold in grocery shops. Homemakers in particular are well aware of the quality they get from stores.
He now grinds and sells around 50 kg of turmeric at customers’ doorsteps and earns about ₹300 per kilogram, a stark contrast to what traders used to pay him.
Earlier, with a small grinder attached to his two-wheeler, he could manage only about 20 kg a day.
Now he has bought a vehicle from Punjab for ₹2.5 lakh, which has storage space and allows him to sell at least 50 kg per day.
Because of the pure quality and trust-based approach, people are willing to buy turmeric from him for the entire year.
In a world where everyone is trying to sell something by adding the word “organic” to their packaging, this farmer has gone beyond the marketing slogan and proved his worth right at their doorstep.
“Earn trust, earn trust, earn trust. Then you can worry about the rest.” – Seth Godin