Founded in 2022, Bahula Naturals is a community-owned pastoral brand based in Bajju in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district. ‘Bahula’—which means ‘plural’ in Hindi—signifies the brand’s core beliefs of working closely with various agro-pastoralists and learning from their diverse farming practices. Bahula Naturals sources all their raw materials from the desert region of western Rajasthan; manufacturing and packaging takes place at their processing unit in Bajju. Currently, their range of products include cheeses, ghee, and cookies made from camel milk; ghee from cow milk; cold-pressed oils; black wheat flour; as well as kasuri methi and moringa powder.
The idea to establish Bahula Naturals took shape when Urmul Seemant Samiti (TL partner organisation), a not-for-profit advocating for the rights and livelihoods of those inhabiting villages along the desert landscape of the Indo-Pakistan border in Rajasthan, extensively worked with farmers and pastoralists in the region. They realised the need for a platform that represents the identity of the desert region, pastoralism and its challenges, as well as link local communities to the market.
Initially, the local communities in Bajju were apprehensive about creating a brand identity for foods from the desert. Gaining their trust took time. It involved understanding the community’s thoughts on a cyclical approach to farming—wherein the soil, fodder for animals, and the farming processes are not only reliant on each other, but are sustainable too. Once the local communities were open to the idea, the next step involved co-developing a decentralised chilling and processing infrastructure, and creating tangible products that advocated for soil conservation, climate-responsive agriculture, and energy conservation.
Historically, rural and pastoralist communities in India do not receive a fair value for their produce. This, combined with limited veterinary care, and poor access to quality feed, credit and insurance, often pushes them towards unsustainable practices such as abandoning traditional animal rearing methods or moving away from indigenous cropping systems. Moreover, a lack of ownership in the value chain often meant there was little incentive for producers to prioritise the needs of the end consumer. Since its inception, Bahula Naturals has worked towards addressing this systemic challenge. Their business model is designed to ensure that a significant share of the economic value they generate directly reaches the communities they work with. For every ₹100 that Bahula Naturals makes, around ₹65 is returned to the communities through the procuring of raw materials and generating employment opportunities across their value chain.
For Bahula Naturals, it was also crucial to address the decline in pastoralism and provide pastoral communities with adequate resources to rear camels. Besides offering pastoralists training and equipment, they ensure high-quality feed, fodder, and veterinary services for the animals, resulting in healthier milk productivity. This milk is then used to make camel milk products like cookies, ghee, and cheese. This also encourages the younger generation to become pastoralists.
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 Bahula Naturals stands on these parameters. We have put this together based on several rounds of conversations with Aakriti Srivastava. Click on a piece of the pie below to find out more.
Why We Love Bahula Naturals
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Encouraging the youth to become pastoralists: Bahula Naturals trains the younger generation of pastoral communities on skills like milk processing as well as making products such as cookies, cupcakes, and flavoured milk. They also ensure that the younger members are represented and involved in decision-making processes. For instance, in 2020, the youth set up camel milk tea stalls in their village markets. Once they started actively engaging, they also learned about conducting quality checks for milk, maintaining better hygiene while milking animals, and increasing milk per animal through veterinary care and feeding practices.
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Use of technology-based inputs: Due to a lack of reliable electricity supply and refrigeration facilities, and intense heat stress in desert regions, Bahula Naturals made the conscious choice to adopt Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE). They deployed renewable energy solutions like solar-powered Instant Milk Chillers at collection points to chill milk at source; integrated PCM- (Phase Change Material) based chiller cylinders and battery-operated reefer vans for cold chain logistics; and worked with farmers to install biogas units at the household level to generate clean energy. This helps improve productivity, reduce farm-level costs, and strengthen producer participation. Around 70 percent of their work in their processing unit is also run on solar energy.
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Working closely with camel-herding communities: Camel pastoralism has seen a steep decline due to reduced grazing lands, policy neglect, and shrinking markets for camel-derived products. Bahula Naturals closely works with camel-herding communities, like the Raikas, to develop a well-managed pastoral system, characterised by judicious grazing. They also invest in training community members in procurement, production, quality control, and marketing roles, thereby generating dignified employment opportunities within the ecosystem itself.
Has there been a shift in people’s perception towards camel milk products and pastoral practices in the last five years? How do you envision this changing in the future?
When we began our work, camel herders in Rajasthan had zero income from their herds, compelling them to abandon not just camels but also pastoralism altogether. The camel was seen as a “burden animal” and its milk had no organised market.
However, through sustained engagement, policy dialogue, ground-level demonstrations, and market linkages, we have been able to raise the concerns that are now being noticed by consumers and the government alike. The Bahula model encouraged the Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Government of Rajasthan to launch camel milk in the market through the channels of the Rajasthan Cooperative Dairy Federation’s (RCDF) brand, Saras, in an exclusive partnership with Bahula. Today, many of the herders we work with earn ₹70,000–80,000 per month from camel milk sales alone, which is a first in India.
Consumer awareness has grown from a niche audience to a wider market that recognises camel milk’s therapeutic and nutritional values. Our camel milk products like artisanal cheeses and freeze-dried milk powder are opening up possibilities in international markets, from Japan to the Middle East.
— Aakriti Srivastava, Founder of Bahula Naturals
Products We Recommend
How to Buy
If you would like to learn more about Bahula Naturals, 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.
This is a paid partnership with Bahula Naturals. We strive to keep the practices of a producer transparent and honest across all forms of partnerships. At The Locavore, we strive to keep the practices of a producer transparent and honest across all forms of partnerships.
![[From left to right] Gulab Singh Sodha and Dilip Kumar carry the milk for testing.](https://i0.wp.com/thelocavore.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Bahula-Naturals-Making-Camel-Milk-Products-in-Bajju-Rajasthan4.jpg?fit=900%2C1600&ssl=1){kind=link}
![[From left to right] Dilip Kumar and Fakruddin Mehr ready milk for pastuerisation at the processing unit in Bajju.](https://i0.wp.com/thelocavore.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Bahula-Naturals-Making-Camel-Milk-Products-in-Bajju-Rajasthan3.jpg?fit=900%2C1600&ssl=1){kind=link}