Ex-Banker Builds $2.5M Farm, Employs 3,000 Rural Women

When Amith Kishan's client died of cancer at just 35, the banker realized something had to change about the food we eat.

The 33-year-old from Penukonda quit his job at ICICI Bank in 2016 and returned to his grandfather's farmland in Andhra Pradesh. His mission was simple: grow food the way nature intended, without a single drop of chemicals.

Today, Hebbevu Farms spans 650 acres and generates $2.5 million in annual revenue. Amith sells six tonnes of vegetables and 1,500 liters of milk daily to customers across India through his Bengaluru store and website.

The journey wasn't easy. When Amith first started farming without pesticides, neighboring farmers called him a fool. Chemical spray from nearby fields would drift onto his crops, attracting insects that devastated his harvest.

But Amith stuck with traditional methods. He ploughs soil four feet deep using bulls instead of tractors. His fertilizer comes from cow dung and urine, not chemical factories. His ghee is made in earthen pots over wood fires, exactly like his grandfather did decades ago.

The transformation was remarkable. Earthworms returned to his soil for the first time in years. His farm now houses 700 indigenous cows and buffaloes, including rare Gir and Sahiwal breeds that provide milk while naturally enriching the land.

Amith grows 40 varieties of indigenous crops, from gangabhavani coconuts to white chickpeas and heritage brinjals. Everything is grown from native seeds, the kind that thrived in Indian soil for generations before industrial farming took over.

Solar panels reduced his monthly electricity costs from $3,600 to just $480. What started with a $180,000 loan and 15 acres has grown into a sustainable food empire.

The Ripple Effect

The real magic happens in Amith's production facilities, where 3,000 rural women have found steady employment. These women process vegetables, churn butter, package dairy products, and press oils using traditional methods that preserve both nutrients and dignity.

Amith serves 1,800 customers daily and has reached over 300,000 people since 2019. Each purchase supports chemical-free agriculture, traditional farming knowledge, and women's economic independence in rural Andhra Pradesh.

His farm has become a living classroom, teaching neighboring farmers that sustainable methods can be profitable. Several have now switched to organic practices, creating a growing network of chemical-free farms in the region.

One customer's tragedy sparked a movement proving that good food, good farming, and good business can grow from the same soil.

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