He Grew Mushrooms in His Flat, Now Runs 10-Acre Farm

Chethan Shetty didn't quit his job on a whim. He grew mushrooms in his rented Bengaluru apartment first, preparing hay on a small gas stove, just to see if farming could really work for him.

After eight years in corporate life, the pull of his grandparents' farm near Mangaluru was too strong to ignore. He had spent childhood holidays running through paddy fields and playing among areca nut trees, and those memories never left him.

In 2017, Chethan returned to his ancestral land in Bellare and planted turmeric as his first real test. The 3,000 kg harvest gave him the confidence to make farming his life.

He transformed the 10-acre property, digging a new borewell and planting 550 rambutan trees, 50 mangosteen, and 100 tender coconut plants. While waiting for the fruit trees to mature, he grew bananas and areca nuts to cover expenses, watching his savings disappear in the process.

The turning point came when his rambutan trees finally produced fruit. "We used income from selling rambutan and built a house in the village," Chethan says, remembering when the gamble started paying off.

Today, Manjanna Shetty Family Farms grows everything from 2,500 areca nut trees to 650 rambutan trees, plus pepper vines, nutmeg, coconut, mangosteen, and avocado. In 2022, the family earned Rs 15 lakh by selling nearly 5,200 kg of produce to traders and retailers across India.

His father's reaction tells the whole story. At first, he hesitated to admit his son had left a city job to become a farmer. Now he's proud to talk about it.

Why This Inspires

Chethan's journey shows that career changes don't have to be reckless leaps. He tested his dream in a small apartment before committing, then powered through the lean years with intercrops and determination.

"It is not just about money," Chethan says. "It is about how content you feel in whatever work you do."

His workday now begins and ends on the farm he once only visited on holidays, and he doesn't have to prove himself to anyone. He found what a corporate career couldn't give him: peace in his daily work.