‘My BP was 160’: How he left his job and built Rs 30 lakh farming venture

What happens when a man decides to quit his high-paying IT job to become a farmer? But this is not another quit-your-job and get-rich-fast story. This is a story that began on a small terrace in Delhi where moringa seeds sprouted beside household greens turned the world of an engineer upside down and how. These moringa seeds were planted by Jitender Mann which did it as a small experiment to take care of his health. But then, he did not know his experiment would turn him into an entrepreneur and earn him name, fame and of course money.Today, Jitender along with his wife Sarla Mann is running a successful moringa farming and related products business from their ancestral village in Mehmudpur, Sonipat, Haryana. With this, the couple is generating nearly ₹30 lakh a year. They are selling organic products across India, the USA, and the UAE. But success has no shortcuts. To reach here, they worked hard every day and believed in themselves on the hardest days to keep going.Journey from techie to farmerBefore switching his career, Jitender used to work at one of India’s largest IT firms which earned him a steady salary (around a lakh per month). He worked there for over a decade and was comfortable. But as he entered his 40s, the city-life took a toll on his body. He started suffering from high blood pressure, continuous joint pains, and a chemical-rich food.“I was healthy in theory,” he later reflected in an interview in The Better India, “but what I consumed and how I lived was slowly breaking me. I am not an expert, but I believe everything is related to the food we eat.”Jitender had lived in cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, and Delhi. He observed one thing which was concerning: thyroid disorders and high blood pressure was a common issue everywhere. He, himself, was suffering from lifestyle diseases. “My blood pressure was 160. It was a wake-up call for me,” he added.This is when he decided to grow his own food and planted vegetables and moringa on his terrace. And moringa turned out to be a game changing idea. This drought-resilient tree is known among nutrition scientists for being rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.Two years without returns and zero chemicals

Canva

In the year 2017, Jitender and Sarla decided to leave Delhi for good and move to their ancestral village. They gave up their life in the city and modern comforts along with a ₹1 lakh-per-month to grow their moringa. On their two acres of land, they planted moringa, not for money, not for fame, only for soil health and personal conviction. But what happened next was the turning point. For two years straight, they had no earnings at all.But the couple was adamant to not use chemicals and pesticides or any kind of synthetic fertilisers on their farm. Instead, they took care of the soil. They started working with nature. Some of the soil preparation practices they adopted are known for regenerative agriculture techniques. These techniques are now getting popular on an international level. “We were clear: this had to be chemical-free,” Sarla said, underlining that soil health was more important than anything else. So the couple embraced slow returns, no rush, no hurry, no pesticides.Two years later, they began harvesting leaves. They would dry them carefully, and make moringa powder under their brand, Husband Wife Farm. Initially, the sales were decent and mostly were from word of mouth. Their friends and neighbors were supportive of their cause. But their business expanded in urban wellness circuits in Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru and Mumbai, to name a few.What worked

Canva

What worked for them was unlike other moringa brands who were competing for low cost, Jitender and Sarla talked about quality products which are not bitter, chemical free and fully traceable organic. They started selling leaf powder and capsules to beetroot mixes, all under the premium product section.By fiscal year 2024, the turnover was of around ₹30 lakh (domestic and international). Another remarkable aspect of their business was they never hired big marketing agencies. Most customers found them through honest testimonials and genuine changes in digestion and immunity.Today, Jitender is not only leading a business, he is leading a dialogue and changing narratives.