There’s a common idea that running a mountain brand is all scenic views and "being your own boss." That has not been my experience. Running a farm-to-table business in Pauri Garhwal, India, comes with unique rural reality challenges that most city-based startups never face.

The Challenges of The Farm

Running a direct-from-farm brand in the mountains means the economics are rarely straightforward. Unlike typical food processing units that procure ingredients, our Himalayan food products are tied to the soil and the seasons. We are planting, maintaining and replanting. A single spell of bad weather in the Garhwal mountains can undo months of effort. Last year we lost 70% of our chamomile and 100% of our heirloom tomato crop due to unseasonal rains.

Building Systems Where None Existed

Alongside the crops, we are building people. In the early days, this was our biggest challenge. Often, we’d have fresh produce ready to be processed, and the ladies wouldn’t show up—perhaps because of a village function or unexpected guests at home.

This wasn’t out of carelessness; it was because there was no precedent for this kind of work culture here. We had to slowly build that system in a context where connectivity is poor, transport is limited, and not everyone has a phone. What looks basic on paper takes real, physical effort to build on the ground.

The "Slow" in Slow Food

We live in a world of 10-minute deliveries and same-day shipping. But in the mountains, we work with timelines that stretch. Here, "slow food" isn't just a culinary choice—it’s a logistical reality.

Sourcing and growing ingredients takes months, sometimes a full year, of meticulous planning. You learn quickly that you cannot operate reactively. You stock up when you can, you plan for the harvest, you prepare for the worst… and then, nature happens. A landslide blocks the only road out, a failed crop wipes out a season, or a sudden storm sends you straight into "firefighting" mode.

Last year, the monsoons were particularly unforgiving. We faced days of being completely cut off, with terrible delays and damages in transit.

In an urban office, a power cut is a minor inconvenience. A few months ago, a tree fell on our lines during a storm, and we lost power for 72 hours, causing a complete halt to operations. It is a test of patience and a reminder that here, nature is the ultimate boss.

Entrepreneurship, at least for me, has not been all that glamorous. It has been messy and exhausting. But it is also thrilling and meaningful in a way that is hard to describe.

Love from the mountains, Divya