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Bharadwaj’s fruit treats from Sringeri: You cannot eat just one!

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As you drive and dive into the Western Ghats you will embrace the most astounding scenery you are likely to encounter anywhere – especially as the sun emerges from its hideout behind the clouds and snakes its way through the gulf of entangled branches that support each other’s effort to keep it from reaching the ground that is bathed in green after an enriching monsoon!

The road curves, and curves again as you climb into the hills; and as you look down into the valley from inside the comfort and safety of your vehicle, whatever it may be, the scene will take your breath away. The mist swirls above the valley you had just left, and you are now literally in the cloud – and nowadays that is where you do most of your purchases these days!

The proof of the pudding is in the eating – literally and figuratively – and that is what this article is all about. You must experience the experience and the Goosebumps and then you will understand.

Nestled in this glorious environment, lies Sringeri, a hill town on the banks of the river Tunga on the Mangalore Solapur Highway in Chikkamagaluru District. Sringeri is a cradle of spirituality. It is the site of the first ma?ha (Dakshinamnaya Sringeri Sharada Peetham) established by Adi Shankara, Hindu theologian and exponent of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy, in the 8th century CE.  

And it is here in Sringeri that you will find Karanth Foods Pvt. Ltd. It’s a natural place to find a food processing industry that is the epitome of nature itself – it only uses fruits and vegetables from the agricultural efforts of the community in its surroundings and uses them innovatively and without any preservatives!

Karanth’s Food Pvt. Ltd. is an ISO 22000:2005 certified enterprise formed by Bharadwaj Karanth and a team of 18 youngsters from the local farming community.

They have brought together their skills and learning in various fields to add value to the agri-products of the region; something that the community was in dire need of. A brilliant and supportive idea that has turned into a very profitable venture from which so many are benefitting today. 

The venture, the brainchild of Bharadwaj Karanth, hopes to re-establish interest in agriculture among the youth, which is fast eroding and reverse the migration trends that have prevailed for so long!  The idea is to preserve and present the treats of the region and hence the brand name Fruit Treat!

It’s about 3 years since Karanth’s Foods was established to produce yummy goodies made from fruits and vegetables grown locally! Under the brand name ‘Fruit Treat’, 12 varieties of snacks are manufactured using Chikkoo, Okra, Mango, Papaya, Jackfruit, Banana, Sweet potatoes, Beetroot, and the healthiest of all – Garlic.

A total of 100 tonnes of produce is a final product of the hard work of the farmers in the Ghat region, all crops are grown without pesticides. They are converted into chips by vacuum frying, a method that uses minimal oil and preserves the original nutritional values to the maximum extent. No artificial flavours’ or preservatives are used in the process making these products all the healthier.

The products, Kabuli Channa(Chickpeas), Natural Banana Chips, Natural Banana Chips with Spicy Chilli Masala, Natural Banana Chips with Spicy Pepper Masala, Natural Chikoo Chips, Natural Garlic Treat, Natural Jackfruit Chips, Natural Jackfruit Chips with Spicy Chili Masala, Natural Jackfruit Chips with Spicy Pepper Masala, Natural Okra Treat, Natural Papaya Chips, and Sweet Potato are available online at https://fruittreat.com/collections/all and Big Basket and at specific stores in various cities. They are also being exported and the products have received wide appreciation.  “I am glad many people have appreciated our products and that’s something I am very happy about,” says young Bharadwaj.

This young entrepreneur aims to conserve the fresh produce that otherwise goes waste, and provide jobs for jobs for the people in the Malnad region. “Many people in my region throw jackfruits, because of the fear of monkeys or cows destroying them.  It is a great fruit with tremendous nutritional value, yet nobody is serious about it. The beauty of our product stays through the entire year along with its original nutritional values, even if the fruits are seasonal.” He also adds this could be given to those kids who tend to eat snacks instead of fruits.

 “We even have a garlic treat, which is highly recommended by many doctors. Either for acidity or cold, many of them hate the bitter taste. But our product gives a different flavour.”

Bharadwaj is a PhD scholar from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, specializing in digital image processing, that he then used in his social entrepreneurship venture. He had previously completed his BSc in Computer Science in 2012 from Sri JCBM College, Sringeri and was working as a lecturer there after completing his MSc from Kuvempu University, Shivamogga.

“I was born and brought up in Sringeri. After I completed my masters, I got an opportunity to do my PhD and to work as a faculty at a local college.  That is how the journey started. I was very keen to do something, as there are very few industries in our region, mostly because of logistics issues. Most of the students migrate to other cities, and I felt we should create some employment here, including for women and small farmers.”

He highlights the issues of logistics that small farmers face. They must travel 100-150 km to sell and market their produce. “Farmers with 1 or 2 acres of land produced areca only. There was no other crop and no value addition. So, I thought it’s a good idea for them to combine crops and we could then provide the value.”.

 “I wanted my students to benefit from local employment opportunities. My experience helped me firm up my plans.  My research experience helped me find the best available technology, “Bharadwaj says of the motivation behind Fruit Treat.

He says, “with the increasing demand for Arecanut trees, jackfruits that are also grown in the Malnad region, are not being given their rightful due.” He did a lot of research and visited institutions like CSIR(Central Food Technological Research Institute)Mysuru and ICAR(Indian Institute of Horticultural Research) to investigate further as to how technology could be used to add value to this immensely nutritional fruit.

 “In other countries, they have advanced machines that use an extraordinarily little preservative to process agricultural produce for the foods market. But in India, it is comparatively rare because of the cost and other factors.”

Bharadwaj feels that there is great scope to expand what he is doing to other small agriculturally rich areas of the state and the country. Technology is so advanced these days he says, that the with the right combination of technology and agriculture, farmers can earn a better livelihood and reverse migration can be initiated even as society becomes healthier.

Such initiatives must be supported, don’t you think? Do taste their treats at https://fruittreat.com/collections/all

Bharadwaj’s fruit treats from Sringeri: You cannot eat just one!
Bharadwaj’s fruit treats from Sringeri: You cannot eat just one!
Bharadwaj’s fruit treats from Sringeri: You cannot eat just one!
Bharadwaj’s fruit treats from Sringeri: You cannot eat just one!

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