20th December, 2024: Sahyadri Farms Post Harvest Care Limited, India’s largest fully integrated and tech-enabled horticulture platform, has raised ₹390 Cr from Europe-based private equity fund, responsAbility, and US-based private equity fund, GEF Capital Partners, along with participation from all existing investors: FMO, Proparco, Incofin, and Korys. The company will utilise the funds to expand climate-resilient patented varieties of table grapes and citrus and augment its packhouse and processing capacities for Fruits and Vegetables (FnV) and value-added products like aseptic, IQF, freeze-dried, juice concentrates, and dry fruits.
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Sahyadri Farms operates an end-to-end FnV supply chain, facilitating farmers/FPOs to grow international-quality produce, managing primary and secondary processing, and marketing the products to marquee international and domestic customers. The company’s key strength lies in its scientific approach and ability to leverage technology to foster best agronomy practices across its network of 25,000+ farmers. This, coupled with international-level processing facilities and tech-enabled operations, ensures the delivery of premium quality products to marquee customers like Tesco, Edeka, Hindustan Unilever Limited, and Coca-Cola.
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Through its partnerships with leading international breeders such as Grapa, BloomFresh, ITUM, and Eurosemillas, Sahyadri Farms is transforming Indian horticulture by introducing climate-resistant patented varieties, enabling India to combat climate adversities and compete in the international market. The company’s unique structure of farmer shareholding further instils entrepreneurship within its farmer network, creating a virtuous circle of trust, collective growth, and wealth creation.
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Sahyadri Farms actively contributes to climate change adaptation and mitigation through sustainable farming practices such as soil regenerative techniques, promoting women’s participation across its value chain, and reducing its carbon footprint. With a strong focus on sustainability and ESG goals, the company is working towards its Net Zero target and furthering its commitment to building a sustainable and inclusive ecosystem. The new investment will bolster these initiatives, driving impactful progress in environmental and social responsibility.
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Started in 2011 by a handful of grape farmers under the visionary leadership of Mr. Vilas Shinde, the company has grown into a multi-crop, multi-product, and multi-channel distribution network, providing a digitally-enabled, fully-integrated value chain to 25,000+ registered farmers and 200+ institutional clients across 40+ countries. The company raised its first institutional round of ₹310 Cr in September 2022 from FMO, Proparco, Incofin, and Korys. Over the last two years, the company has nearly doubled its revenue to ₹1,482 Cr in FY24 with healthy profitability. With this additional funding, the business is projected to grow at approximately 40% CAGR over the next five years.
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The company plans to go public in the coming years, creating a one-of-its-kind farmer-owned listed company on the Indian stock exchanges. This milestone would be the strongest endorsement of Sahyadri Farms’ mission to create a profitable and sustainable agri-enterprise from India, catering to clients worldwide, thereby establishing a legacy in transforming Indian agriculture. Moreover, it will lead to massive wealth creation for 11,000+ farmer shareholders—a first in the country, truly embodying the spirit of Sahyadri Farms.
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In a statement, Mr. Vilas Shinde, Chairman and Managing Director of SFPHCL, said, “Sahyadri Farms’ mission has been to change people’s outlook towards Indian agriculture by professionalising farming and making Indian farmers successful entrepreneurs. In doing so, Sahyadri Farms has scaled to become India’s largest profitable and sustainable horticulture platform. We would like to thank our farmers, employees, breeder partners, customers, and investors for believing in our mission. We welcome our new investors, responsAbility and GEF, on this journey to transform Indian agriculture. We are excited to work towards an IPO in the coming years and become the first farmer-owned organisation to be listed in India.”
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Santosh Watpade, CFO of SFPHCL, said, “Combining scientific agricultural practices and technology with strong business acumen and financial prudence has been the key to our success—achieving the dual objective of ensuring profitable P&Ls for the company and each individual farmer. As we welcome our new investors, responsAbility and GEF, we are grateful to our existing investors, whose continued trust reaffirms the strength of our business model as we move towards becoming India’s first farmer-owned listed organisation.”
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Rik Vyverman, Head of Sustainable Food Private Equity at responsAbility, said, “India represents a critical market for sustainable agriculture, and Sahyadri Farms stands out as a scalable and profitable organisation with a farmer-owned model. The company’s focus on climate-resilient crop varieties and its integrated approach to value chains directly address the growing global demand for sustainable and high-quality food. This investment reflects our confidence in Sahyadri Farms’ ability to deliver strong financial returns while driving meaningful impact for smallholder farmers and advancing climate-resilient agriculture in India.”
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Alipt Sharma, Partner at GEF Capital Partners, said, “Sahyadri Farms has built a truly world-class organisation driven by innovation, technology, best-in-class quality standards, and razor-sharp execution. Marquee clients like Tesco, HUL, and Coca-Cola are a testament to the company’s industry-best offerings. Being India’s premier platform for climate-smart and sustainable agri-practices, Sahyadri Farms is setting a benchmark that large successful business outcomes can emerge from Indian agriculture while staying true to the values of sustainability and wealth creation for all. We are honoured to become part of Sahyadri Farms’ journey as it expands its portfolio of offerings.”
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Ambit acted as the exclusive financial advisor to the company for the fundraising. While DSK Legal was the legal counsel to the company, the investors were advised by Khaitan and Co. and IC Universal Legal on the transaction.

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About responsAbility Investments AG
responsAbility Investments AG is a leading impact asset manager specialising in private market investments across three investment themes. These themes directly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Financial Inclusion, to finance the growth of Micro and SMEs; Climate Finance, to contribute to a net zero pathway; and Sustainable Food, to sustainably feed an ever-growing population. All responsAbility investment solutions target specific measurable impact alongside market returns.
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Since its inception in 2003, responsAbility has deployed over USD 15.7 billion in impact investments. With over 270 employees collaborating across 8 offices, as of 30 September 2024, the company manages USD 5.1 billion in assets across approximately 300 portfolio companies in around 70 countries. Since 2022, responsAbility has been part of M&G plc, the international savings and investments business, and contributes to enhancing M&G’s capabilities in impact investing.

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About GEF Capital PartnersGEF Capital Partners, LLC is a global private equity fund manager focused on making investments in companies that seek to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. With operations in India, the United States, and Brazil, GEF Capital seeks to invest capital in ways that deliver both private equity risk-adjusted returns and positive environmental outcomes. Some of the notable investments of GEF Capital include SeedWorks, Hero Motors Limited, Sterlite Power Transmission Limited, Premier Energies Limited, and TI Clean Mobility Private Limited.