A lot of entrepreneurs are particularly iffy to experiment with their business ideas. But for Pooja Kaul, starting a skincare brand using donkey’s milk required no second thoughts. Using only ethically sourced ingredients she named her new venture Organiko.
How it started
A TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences) graduate, she was on her way to conduct a pilot study in Solapur. On the bus journey, a herd of donkeys caught her eye. Intrigued, she asked the bus driver to stop. That spontaneous detour led her to the Lashkar community. This community mainly comprised migrant labourers who relied on donkeys for work in brick kilns and construction sites.
“The families who own donkeys migrate each year in search of work. Despite toiling all day, they earn just Rs 300–400, barely enough to feed their large families, let alone their donkeys. These animals, crucial to their livelihood, are often neglected and underfed, especially during the monsoon when construction jobs dry up,” she shares.
Despite the animals being critical to their livelihood, families struggled to care for them due to low and unstable earnings. She thus decided to help them and launched Organiko in 2018. She used Rs 26,000 saved for a holiday and Rs 34,000 raised through crowdfunding.
With that seed capital, she made her first batch of 250 soaps and returned to her hometown, Delhi. She showcased her products at city exhibitions and received an overwhelmingly positive response. This was the exact validation she needed to turn her project into a full-fledged business.
Company Overview
The company was started with the aim to bring an amalgamation of Ayurvedic and Egyptian beauty ingredients at service for best in class, natural skincare. At Organiko, natural skin care products are made from donkey milk and some Ayurvedic ingredients. Pooja says,
Today’s market is almost overflowing with an assortment of organic soaps that are beneficial for your skin in one way or another. You might therefore wonder what makes Organiko special, well for starters, our primary ingredient, donkey’s milk, responsibly and ethically sourced from various communities across the country. Not to mention the high-quality oils which are natural and pure, handpicked to enhance the inherent properties of this marvellous ingredient.
This venture has helped many families increase their monthly income from around Rs 5,000 to Rs 14,000. There is a special focus on the welfare of animals. She adds,
“We never overmilk or stress the animals, our focus is on care and compassion. The milk is collected in small, clean batches and immediately stored in sanitised, temperature-controlled containers to maintain its purity and freshness. Every step is done with hygiene and love at the core.”
The products, priced between Rs 350 and Rs 1400, cater to a wide audience, fulfilling more than 500 orders monthly with customers across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi and more. Organiko continues to expand its market presence while promoting the value of natural, locally sourced ingredients.
It is a widely appreciated company for successfully blending traditional wisdom with modern business practices. These success stories are critical as they make one pause and reflect on how they are giving back to the society. Pooja is an epitome of a thoughtful business leader, a necessity in today’s times.
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