Three college friends launched Bihar-based Taruwar Agro, generating ₹50 lakhs in revenue. Taruwar Agro is a zero-waste, eco-friendly startup that converts banana waste into banana fibres, which are used in sanitary pads, clothes, files and folders, handicraft items, and many more.  

This is a truly inspiring story that why one of the founders quit job and rejected lucrative offers. Later, noticing a gap, how did friends turn waste into worth?

Taruwar Agro- Overview

Hajipur, Bihar resident three college friends— Jagat Kalyan, Satyam Kumar, and Nitish K Verma—generated ₹50 lakhs in revenue from a startup named Taruwar Agro, a zero-waste eco-friendly company.

Belonging to a farming family, one of the co-founders, Jagat, completed his engineering studies and later went to Taxila Business School in Jaipur to pursue an MBA in Marketing, where he met with both his co-founders. Being a resident of Bihar, the three became very close buddies during their studies. Jagat began working as an intern at Startup Ecohoy after completing his studies. This turned into a full-time position, which he happily accepted. 

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Rejected Job Offers

Everything was going great at the moment, and during that time, Jagat also received three lucrative job offers: one from Dubai, one from IDFC Bank in India, and one directly from Tanzania. But he rejected all the offers because one thing was clear in his mind: he wanted to build a business that would positively impact society. From the beginning, he had the clear mindset to do something for his country, but he was unsure about the specifics. 

Friends To Founders

While struggling to figure out what kind of business to pursue, all three friends came to their hometown, Hazipur, Bihar. They shared their work experience and decideded to do something of their own but struggled to figure out what kind of business to pursue.

While brainstorming, they realized their hometown, Hazipur, Bihar, is one of the hubs of bananas. In-depth research, friends found that in India, banana farming produces around 80 million tonnes of leftover stem waste, which contributes to environmental pollution. This experience sparked a business idea in their mind of converting banana waste into banana fibres. 

The team studied extensively and got help from Krishi Vigyan Kendra and Vaishali.  After 6 to 8 months of research and late-night brainstorming on their business concept, they found that they could get biodegradable banana fibres out of the bananas. These fibres are more potent than jute and are used in clothing, packaging, and other things. Finally, taking a leap of faith, they began the entrepreneurial journey, pooling ₹15 lakh. 

Concept To Creation

Finally, in 2021, all three friends— Jagat Kalyan, Satyam Kumar, and Nitish K Verma—launched their startup, Taruwar Agro. Taruwar Agro is a zero-waste, eco-friendly startup offering banana fibre, makhana snacks, vermicompost, banana liquid, folders, yoga mats, baskets, paintings, coasters, and many more.

Taruwar Agro's zero-waste approach benefits local farmers, artisans, and the environment. By employing mainly women, the business creates more jobs in the area and encourages artisans to create eco-friendly handicrafts.

They target businesses that could use banana fibre in their products, like paper makers, companies producing eco-friendly sanitary pads, and textile manufacturers replacing synthetic fibres with banana fibre. In this way, Taruwar used a business-to-business (B2B) strategy, focusing on selling to other companies rather than individuals. 

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Challenges On The Path of Entrepreneurship

Challenges are the part of success. During this journey, all three friends also encountered challenges. Initially, they faced two main challenges.

First, it was hard to educate farmers about the value of banana stems because they didn't know these stems could bring in money. Second, farmers and labourers were not ready to accept any changes. They want to continue operating in traditional ways.

To overcome this, Jagat had to build trust through many conversations, giving them time to adapt. Eventually, farmers began selling the stems to him at prices between ₹5 to ₹25.

Reaching New Heights

Turning agricultural waste into valuable resources, Taruwar Agro ships its products, including banana fibre, vermicompost, and snacks, to customers in Europe, Japan, and Dubai. 

With their collective efforts, they built a thriving business, generating ₹50 lakhs in revenue within its first year, with around 50% profit margins.  Now, they are aiming to double their yearly revenue in FY25.

This friends-to-founders journey with Taruwar Agro serves as an inspiring example of how vision, resilience, and strategic thinking can lead to remarkable success.

Also read- Little Indian Spice Story: Female Founder Quit Secure Govt. Job, Now Generates ₹15Lakh Revenue