Lyfesutra GmbH was founded in 2018 by Shivaraj Katti and Kavitha Muniraj.

Hailing from Karnataka (but now settled in Germany), the husband-wife duo has formed Lyfesutra to be a bridge between farmers in India and consumers in Europe.

Pure & Eco India speaks with Shivaraj about the products they’re importing from India, the market for Indian ingredients in Europe, as well as, Lyfesutra’s desired partner profile.

◊ By Rutaksha Rawat

Note: To find organic suppliers in India, buy the Organic Directory 

Tell us about Lyfesutra. Is it an e-commerce site or a brand?

We are one of the youngest fairtrade startups in Germany working exclusively with Natural, Organic and Sustainable products, which are inclusively Fair-handled.

We are an eco-conscious brand and aspire to become a B-Corporation. We offer a mix of products, with some products being sold under our own label and some being sold directly under the name of the manufacturer.

Our major focus is B2B. We are currently selling in around 100+ Weltladens/Worldstores (stores exclusively selling fairtrade products), as well as, in Organic and Package-free stores in Germany and Austria. We also have a niche online presence through Avocadostore (Germany’s largest Sustainable Products Marketplace).

Currently, we have 4 major product segments:

Aromasutra – Natural cosmetics and candles

Kalasutra – Functional home decor

Ecosutra – Everyday green alternatives

Biosutra – Nutritional intercultural kitchen (food products)

We are a certified Organic and Fairtrade importer and are also member of Fairband – Association of German Fairtrade Importers and Unverpackt e.V – Association of Package-Free Stores in Germany.

What is the vision behind Lyfesutra?

We realised that the solution to most of our problems lies in the past, ie, in traditional philosophy and ancient practices. The ingredients used by our elders are derived from nature and, therefore, we have a symbiotic relation with our ecosystem. At Lyfesutra, we have two primary goals:

1. Our aim is to encourage people to use more natural products, which are more sustainable and suitable for today’s world.
2. To provide social enterprises, co-operatives and marginal farmers from the Indian sub-continent with a platform to reach conscious consumers in Germany, and Europe at large.

We are on our way to bringing back the cradle-to-cradle concept to rectify the inherent design-defect that modern products come with. We look forward to being a frontrunner of circular economies.

“We are looking to work with partners who are transparent and can provide traceability till the farm gate. Certified organic cultivation is important, as well as, fairtrade principles.”

How did you come to live in Germany? Tell us a bit about yourself.

Both of us hail from the Southern Indian state of Karnataka. We’re electronic engineers by profession. We worked for multiple years in the automotive industry.

Following some short term deputations in the early years of her career, Kavitha decided to take up a job offer in Germany in 2014. This is when we both migrated here permanently.

What does your product range comprise?

Biosutra is our latest product group (comprising food-related products) and we have launched two different rice varieties in December 2020. We will also launch tender jackfruit products in the near future.

What are the two varieties of rice that you have imported from India? Is there demand for rice in Europe?

There is, of course, an increasing demand and trend for rice consumption in Europe.

We are importing:

Thondi – Red & Bold (parboiled)

The characteristics of Wayanad Red Rice are exceptional, both in terms of taste and appearance. After cooking, it swells and becomes round, its red rind crackling in places.

Gandhakasala – Soul of Malabar Biryani

This is GI tagged – small grain fragrant rice. It has disease-resistant properties, high nutritional value and fine taste. This type of rice is traditionally used on special occasions such as wedding functions.

These rice varieties from Wayanad are not only delicious, but also, they are organic and fairtrade, and preserve biodiversity.

Which farms is the rice being imported from in Wayanad? Are they certified organic?

Both rice varieties have been sourced from Vanamoolika Herbals (Organic Wayanad) in Pulpally, Kerala, which supports the traditional rice project by Thirunelly FPO. They are certified Organic (EU and NPOP).

Vanamoolika is also a Fair for Life-certified company.

Approximately how much rice are you importing from India currently?

As a trial, we are only importing around 1,500 kg of rice in the first batch. But, will increase this exponentially next year.

What else do you plan to import from India?

By the end of 2021, we would have developed a range of Jackfruit Products, Jeerakasala and Navara rice and Amla products.

Is there scope for Indian-origin products in Germany, especially traditional products?

India has the largest number of organic producers in the world. We have a diverse pantry, which can suit and cater to various needs. Infrastructure-wise, we still have a lot of catching up to do, but we’re also not a long way off.

With the ever-increasing popularity of yoga and ayurveda, people here (in Germany) are looking towards a holistic approach to life. Indian spices and our traditional knowledge of food has been a pivot for the world’s kitchen since ages and the general rise in the vegan and flexitarian diet trends are in favour of Indian ingredients and recipes.

But, in general, there is a need to identify the best product fit to this market. The focus should be not just on the goodness of the raw materials but also on creating viable shelf-ready products. Farm level traceability and impeccable quality is the key for exporters.

How are these products perceived by German consumers and what is their application in their diets?

Rice, Pulses and Millets are grown and used in Europe also. But, what India has to offer is a variety of these with different nutritional and flavour profiles.

Germans consider Indian food to be premium and hold it in high regard. We have many local friends here who swear by it. With more and more people reducing the consumption of meat and favouring alternative proteins and flexi diets, the role of these basic ingredients is becoming larger in their everyday meals.

Spices complement this demand and a balanced ready-to-cook or convenience food created with these basic ingredients will do well here.

What are the other Indian organic food items that do well in Germany?

Apart from the regular Black Tea, Coffee, Rice, Pulses and Spices – doors are also opening up for fresh vegetables, fresh fruits and nuts.

The scope is also high in dried fruits and dried herbs with medicinal values.

What is Lyfesutra’s roadmap for the next 5 years?

We want to take small but confident steps. To begin with, we want to import and develop some traditional and ancient varieties of Rice, and Millets, along with Jackfruit, Kokum, and Amla products. When selecting them, we want to focus on the GI-tagged portfolio.

This is not just a market differentiator step, but we genuinely intend to be a torch bearer of the invaluable treasures of our Incredible India.

We intend to follow this up with nutrient-dense RTC (ready-to-cook) and RTE (ready-to-eat) food products, which will not only please the Indian palette but will also appeal to European taste buds. We want to create a series of fusion foods for our modern intercultural kitchen.

What kind of exporters/partners in India are you looking to work with?

We are looking to work with partners who are transparent and can provide traceability till the farm gate. Certified organic cultivation is important, as well as, fairtrade principles.

Ideally, we look forward to working with organic farmers and FPOs. The challenge with FPOs is that they generally do not export. In such cases, we can team up with the exporters/processing companies of their choice.

The processing companies/exporters must have patience and expertise to develop rapid prototypes and keep iterating until the right product is created.

What we offer in return is a long-term goals and growth-oriented approach, besides a premium for their produce.

We also publish the name of every producer on our website, products, and social media posts to acknowledge them as equal partners.

LYFESUTRA FACT FILE

Name of Company: Lyfesutra GmbH

Year of Establishment: 2018

Contact Person: Shivaraj Katti (Co-Founder & CEO)

Address: Sucystraße. 11, 74321 Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany

Ph: +49 15171 348738

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.lyfesutra.de

Nature of Business: Retail, Import

Organic Status: Certified Organic

Product Range: Organic rice from south India, among other organic products