Suminter India Organics

Suminter India Organics
Company type	Private
Industry	Organic farming and distribution
Genre	Organic food & Organic cotton
Founded	2003
Founder	Sameer Mehra
Headquarters	Mumbai, India
Area served	Europe, United States
Products	Organic food and fibers
Number of employees	600
Website	suminterindiaorganics.com

Suminter India Organics is a privately held multinational supplier of certified

organic products from India to Europe and the United States. Founded in 2003, Suminter's mission is to give small-scale Indian farmers access to a global $52bn marketplace for certified organic products.^[1] In 2016, Suminter was working with over 20,000 farmers^[2] in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan,^[3] covering 110,000 acres (450 km²) of land under organic cultivation.^[2] The company focuses on two product lines: non-perishable organic food and organic cotton

.

History

After completing his undergraduate studies overseas, Sameer Mehra returned to India in 1998 with the idea of organic

pesticides have low penetration throughout much of India. With a US$23 billion global market for organic foods in 2002 alone and a huge shortage of supply, Mehra saw an opportunity to supply organic food from India.^{[citation needed}

]

In 2003, Mehra founded Suminter India Organics. The company focused its product lines on non-perishable goods and organic cotton largely because spices, grains, and cotton were Indian specialties, and also because they required less intensive supply-chain management as compared to fresh produce. In order to meet global demand, Suminter integrated international organic certification into its operating model to create a "farm to shelf" fully integrated supply chain.^{[citation needed]}

Though this added a 2–3 year gap between sourcing farms and organic procurement, Mehra eventually persuaded small-scale farmers of the long-term value of

crop yields, safe farming practices, and a constant demand for produce. Moreover, the company passed on the benefit of higher organic margins, paying farmers a 10–20% premium over conventional products.^[1]^[2]

Suminter has raised its first round of venture capital funding from Nexus India Capital in 2007.^[4]

Suminter India Organics has been part of the Endeavor (non-profit) network since 2009.^{[citation needed]}

Awards

In 2009, Suminter won the Sankalp Forum's 2009 High Impact Award for Agricultural & Rural Innovation.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Shashidhar, Ajita (1 July 2009). "Food For Thought at Suminter India Organics". DARE. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Shashidhar, Ajita (5 September 2009). "Organically Speaking". Business Outlook India. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
^ Singh, Khomba; Deepshikha Monga (25 November 2008). "US NGO looking for 'inspirational' entrepreneurs". The Economic Times. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
^ "Nexus India invests in Suminter". Financial Express. 14 March 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
^ "Intellecap Announces Sankalp 2009 Winners". Intellecap (Press release). 29 April 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2009.

[dare-1] Shashidhar, Ajita (1 July 2009). "Food For Thought at Suminter India Organics". DARE. Retrieved 28 August 2009.

[bo-2] Shashidhar, Ajita (5 September 2009). "Organically Speaking". Business Outlook India. Retrieved 28 August 2009.

[3] Singh, Khomba; Deepshikha Monga (25 November 2008). "US NGO looking for 'inspirational' entrepreneurs". The Economic Times. Retrieved 23 August 2009.

[4] "Nexus India invests in Suminter". Financial Express. 14 March 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2009.

[5] "Intellecap Announces Sankalp 2009 Winners". Intellecap (Press release). 29 April 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2009.

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