TechnoServe 67d ago

India is a cow-and-buffalo milk country. So when Aakriti Srivastava decided to build a food company in the Thar Desert, she did almost everything the opposite way: camel milk instead of cow milk, women farmers only, no existing cold chain, and a cheese category that didn't exist in India yet. Three and a half years in, Bahula Foods has 18 products, a 20-person team, five thousand customers across India, and revenue that has more than doubled every year since launch. In this conversation, TechnoServe's Chief Advancement Officer John Keightley sits down with Aakriti to walk through how Bahula turned raw camel milk into artisanal halloumi, feta, and aged cheeses — and why 100% of its farmers are women. Bahula is part of the Greener program, TechnoServe's initiative supporting entrepreneurs building climate- and nature-positive businesses in India. Since 1968, TechnoServe has helped farmers and entrepreneurs in over 30 countries build businesses that create income, jobs, and opportunity. — CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome and why we're talking about camels 02:10 Meet Aakriti and Bahula Foods 04:52 What Bahula actually sells 05:58 18 products, 20 people, revenue doubling every year 07:35 The problem statement behind the business 10:42 Why desert regions need their own solutions 14:41 The camel milk cheese breakthrough 17:56 How a journalism student ended up in a 50 degree desert 21:10 Building infrastructure that didn't exist yet 25:00 From camel to consumer: the cold chain 28:53 Inventing new dairy technology from scratch 30:35 When TechnoServe came in — and what Greener does 34:50 Climate and nature at the core of the model 38:05 Who the Raika farmers are 39:40 Why Bahula only works with women farmers 41:55 The vision: a global Bahulaverse 46:50 Best advice: stop trying to solve everything at once 48:05 A challenge for every viewer - TechnoServe General Inquiries - info@technoserve.org Media - media@technoserve.org Donor Support - donorsupport@technoserve.org https://www.technoserve.org/contact-us/ 1777 N Kent Street, Suite 1100 Arlington, VA 22209 Tel: +1 202 785 4515 Fax: +1 202 785 4544