Founded by Supriya Sarin and Tilak Goswami in 2020, Vnya is a family-run operation bringing organic, seasonal produce from 300 smallholder farmers across Uttarakhand. By maintaining close ties with farmers and personally visiting their farms, Vnya brings high-quality ingredients that are naturally grown and free from any chemical inputs.
Their traditional pulses—kali urad (black gram), bhatt ki dal (black and white soyabean), naurangi dal (a nine-coloured bean variety), rajma harshil—along with red chillies, jakhya (wild mustard), finger, barnyard, and foxtail millets, are predominantly sourced from women farmers in Pauri, Dugadda, Chakrata, and villages like Suiyya and Dewal. Since 2023, Vnya has expanded into making small-batch, value-added products—pickles, chutneys, masalas, marmalades, jams, preserves, and squashes— featuring tried-and-tested recipes from Supriya’s late mother, Mamta Sarin, and traditionally prepared in their home kitchen in Dehradun.
Vnya’s vast range of products also includes flours, berries, dry fruits, cold-pressed oils, hand-churned ghee, and honeys. Their single-origin, monofloral varieties include wild jamun harvested by beekeepers in the forest divisions of Laldhang and Kotdwar, lychee from orchards in Rani Pokhri, and wild eucalyptus from the Chidiyapur forest range. Meanwhile, their multifloral honey is harvested by the Garhwali community in the tropical deciduous forests near Biharigarh village in Uttar Pradesh and traditional beekeepers of Chamoli Ghat.
Outside Uttarakhand, they source from farmers in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Goa. Vnya also collabotes with Farmer-Producer Organisations (FPOs) and NGOs like Mount Valley Development Association in Garhwal and Swarajya Yuva Atma Purush Bachat Gat in Junnar. Deeply committed to fair trade, Vnya ensures all their producers receive fair and equitable pricing.
Since its inception, Vnya has incorporated eco-conscious packaging and waste reduction practices. In 2020, they began their operations as a brick-and-mortar grocery store in Juhu, Mumbai, where consumers were encouraged to bring their own containers and recyclable bags, or borrow them from the store. While their presence has shifted online since 2024, Vnya plans to re-open their store in Goa as part of an ongoing effort to encourage hyperlocal purchasing.
The Locavore Bite
TL Bite offers a glimpse into how a partner producer runs their operations, and reflects their core principles and values. The idea is to provide insights into their practices and highlight their positive efforts descriptively. We have identified seven key areas of assessment – origin and source of ingredients, composition and integrity of the products, workforce policies, production practices, community-related initiatives, approach towards preserving or celebrating traditional knowledge and the materials used in packaging. While this assessment may not be entirely comprehensive, we hope it helps you make an informed decision about why you might want to support them, and the ways in which to do so.
The information below offers you a snapshot of where Vnya stands on these parameters. We have put this together based on several rounds of conversations with Supriya Sarin. Click on a piece of the pie below to find out more.
Why We Love Vnya
- Sustainable packaging: For local orders of grains, pulses, and pink Himalayan salt, Vnya encourages consumers to bring their own jars and paper bags. Products such as squashes, pickles, chutneys, honeys, berries, and ghee are packed in glass containers, which customers are encouraged to return once empty, so they can be recycled and reused. For outstation deliveries, 100 percent recyclable plastic is used for a lower environmental footprint.
- Encouraging hyperlocal purchasing: As a low-waste store, Vnya promotes hyperlocal purchasing and champions package-free, locally sourced, and fair trade products. They work closely with B2B partners including chefs, cafes, and businesses that prioritise sustainability and encourage the use of local ingredients over imported ones. Through their WhatsApp community, Vnya also facilitates direct orders, keeping consumers informed and engaged about mindful consumption.
- Family-run operation: Supriya’s family works closely as a team, with each member playing a key role at Vnya. Her mother oversaw the quality and taste of all the produce, while also handling their small-batch products along with Supriya’s sister-in-law, Rashmi Sarin. Supriya’s father, Atul Sarin, who resides in Dehradun, is regularly in touch with farmers, while her brother, Udit Sarin, assists with the brand’s graphic design.
What are some challenges Vnya faces when it comes to implementing a zero-waste system?
At Vnya, one of our biggest challenges is shifting consumer habits. Plastic is convenient, especially for working individuals, so asking people to bring their own containers or accept paper packaging often feels like an uphill battle. Our supply chain isn’t set up for plastic-free systems either—farmers and suppliers face issues like higher packaging costs, limited storage, and risk of wastage.
Sustainable packaging is expensive, and as a small business, we’re constantly balancing our zero-waste values with affordability and quality. To scale this model is also hard. Investors often don’t see zero-waste as viable, and our small-batch, fair-price model is vulnerable to spoilage and losses, especially in humid places like Goa and Mumbai. Add to that customer expectations for low prices, and it becomes difficult to convince people to pay more for clean, chemical-free food.
—Supriya Sarin, Co-founder, Vnya
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How to Buy
If you would like to learn more about Vnya, or try their products, check out their website. If you’re interested in supporting them in other ways, please contact us at connect@thelocavore.in.
At The Locavore, we strive to keep the practices of a producer transparent and honest across all forms of partnerships.
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