Earl of the Rustic Trail
Pandurang Taware is reaping rich from his agri tourism model …..Tapash Talukdar & Ashish Agashe
For Pandurang Taware, being a son of the soil takes on a very literal and personal meaning. Born into a farmers household, he chose to pursue a professional career in tourism instead. Seventeen years later, Taware made up for lost time and returned to start a business that combined his tourism experience with his entrepreneurial passion and a desire to connect with his roots. Today, the 39-year-old chief of the Agri Tourism Development Corporation has carved out a niche for himself by pioneering the concept of agri-tourism in India. Since he started this business four years ago, nearly 50,000 guests have flocked to his farms in Baramati, Maharashtra to spend a holiday, and learn a thing or two about rustic living.
Taware struck upon this idea in 2000 and spent another five years to give it a formal shape. The most important part was to understand the psyche of the urban guest and teach soft skills to the farmers so that they could serve guests better, he says. A market research firm was hired to poll over 5,400 respondents in cities on their readiness and interest in such an idea. Once the concept and business model were ready, Taware took the plunge.
A sum of Rs 10 lakh Taware had saved in his job, was ploughed-in as seed capital for the business, which began operating out of a farm in his hometown Baramati in Maharashtras Pune district. Initially, Taware and his family fully owned the business. Later, the farmers on whose land the business expanded, were offered equity in the venture. The business achieved break-even in the first year and has now grown to three sites in the vicinity of Baramati. It has served over 48,000 tourists until now, doing business of over Rs 1.5 crore with 25-28% in gross margins. The best part about this business is that we do not spend much on creating infrastructure. Guests pay us to have a look at our farms and how they function, says Taware.