About the Company
Jovaki Agro Food, founded by Rajesh Oza and Pooja Oza, is a Rajasthan-based social enterprise dedicated to creating sustainable livelihoods for tribal communities. Through its consumer brand Tribalveda, the company transforms forest fruits like jamun, sitaphal, amla, and other wild produce into premium value-added products such as seed powder, herbal tea, vinegar, fruit pulp, and natural health products. More than just building a food brand, Jovaki has created a model where business growth goes hand in hand with rural empowerment and environmental conservation.
The Beginning
Rajesh Oza grew up in a small village in Rajasthan, where he watched tribal families spend hours collecting forest fruits only to sell them at extremely low prices because the fruits spoiled quickly. Later, he moved to Mumbai in search of a better future, but after struggling to find stable opportunities, he returned to his village in 2016.
Coming back home, he realized that nothing had changed for the tribal communities. They were still forced to sell their produce at throwaway prices. Instead of ignoring the problem, Rajesh decided to solve it. After marrying Pooja Oza in 2017, the couple invested their savings of ₹2 lakh and began working on an idea that could improve the lives of thousands of tribal families.
A New Challenge
Building the business was far from easy. The biggest challenge was convincing tribal communities to trust a completely new system. Farmers were unsure whether anyone could genuinely help them earn better prices.
Rajesh started by working with a few families, collecting their fruits, negotiating better prices in the market, and ensuring they received the profits directly. As people began seeing real results, word spread across nearby villages. Slowly, trust replaced hesitation, and more tribal families joined their mission.
The founders also realised that selling fresh fruits alone would never solve the problem because most fruits had a very short shelf life. They needed a long-term solution that created more value.
Building the Brand
To reduce wastage and increase farmers' incomes, the couple introduced fruit processing units within tribal villages. Instead of selling raw fruits, women were trained to produce jamun seed powder, herbal teas, vinegar, fruit pulp, and other natural products.
In 2021, they launched Tribalveda, a consumer brand that brought these traditional, forest-based products to customers across India. Their zero-waste approach ensured that almost every part of the fruit was utilized. While the pulp was processed into food products, the peels were converted into vermicompost, and seeds were preserved for plantation and future cultivation.
This unique model not only created better incomes but also built a sustainable ecosystem around India's underutilized forest produce.
Creating Impact Beyond Business
Today, Jovaki has become a source of livelihood for more than 1,000 tribal families across Rajasthan, with its model expanding into Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The company has helped increase seasonal incomes from Rs 15,000, 20,000 annually to nearly Rs 15,000 per month during harvest seasons. Tribal women are now involved in fruit collection, processing, grading, packaging, and quality control, giving them financial independence and year-round employment opportunities.
The impact extends beyond livelihoods. Communities that once cut down fruit-bearing trees for firewood now actively protect and preserve them because the forests have become a valuable source of sustainable income.
The Founder & Brand Hustle
Rajesh and Pooja never started Jovaki with the dream of building a multi-crore company. Their goal was simple, to ensure that tribal communities received the value they truly deserved.
Starting with just Rs 2 lakh, they built a purpose-driven enterprise that today generates an annual turnover of over Rs 1.67 crore, supplies products across India and international markets like the UK, and has earned recognition on Shark Tank India Season 4.
Their journey proves that the strongest businesses are not always built around products, they are built around solving real human problems. By combining entrepreneurship with social impact, Rajesh and Pooja transformed forgotten forest fruits into a thriving brand while changing the lives of thousands of tribal families.
Key Highlights
- Founded in 2017 with an investment of Rs 2 lakh.
- Empowering 1,000+ tribal families across Rajasthan.
- Helped triple the seasonal income of tribal women.
- Built Tribalveda, a premium forest-based wellness brand.
- Products are sold across India and exported to the UK.
- Promoting zero-waste processing and forest conservation.
- Featured on Shark Tank India Season 4 and secured investment.
- Annual turnover crossed Rs 1.67 crore, with social impact at the heart of the business.
