A Three-Day Workshop Exploring Digital Marketing, Branding, and Labeling for Small and Emerging Food Entrepreneurs
In September 2025, The Locavore and Bhoomi Ka, with the support of Welthungerhilfe and German Cooperation (Deutsche Zusammenarbeit), organised a three-day, hands-on training series for small and emerging food entrepreneurs supported by Bhoomi Ka. The workshop brought together FPOs, farmers, eco-preneurs, and small business owners from across the country—each with unique products, stories, and motivations—to explore practical, low-cost ways to improve their digital marketing, packaging, and labelling compliance.
Spread across three days, these sessions aimed to help participants tell their stories more confidently, reach a larger audience through various digital and social media channels, meet labelling compliance standards, and move towards sustainable packaging.
Day 1: Digital Media and Storytelling for Food Businesses
The first day began with warmth and curiosity as participants gathered at Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, a national youth centre in Delhi. The day opened with introductions, where 20 participants from small businesses, including Paushtik Life, Jin Organic, and Kudrat Hut; women-led brands, including Ranikhet Jica Mahila Cooperative Society; and FPOs, making goat milk soap, pickles, spices, and traditional snacks, shared who they were, where they came from, and what their brand or enterprise focused on.
The Locavore team and Bhoomi Ka representatives also introduced themselves and shared the vision behind the workshop series—to help brands strengthen their storytelling abilities, market competitiveness, and support environmentally responsible and consumer-friendly approaches that align with the broader goal of fostering resilient local food systems and creating sustainable livelihoods.
The session on Digital Media and Storytelling was facilitated by Ashish Sharma, Digital Media Lead at The Locavore, who guided participants through the basics of storytelling in food branding. Through a mix of examples, visuals, and lively discussions, participants learned how storytelling helps food brands build trust, connect emotionally with customers, and stand out online. Ashish explained that stories need not be elaborate—they simply need to be authentic and consistent:
“Stories are all around us, waiting to be told. They can come from personal experiences, customer interactions, or daily operations. What feels ordinary to you may be meaningful to others—especially for food and farm businesses, for whom stories bring people, places, and values to the forefront, connecting producers and consumers in ways not much else can.”
Ashish Sharma, Digital Media Lead at The Locavore, addressing the audience at the workshop. Photos by Ishani Banerjee.
The group then explored how small businesses can use digital platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp Business effectively. Participants discovered that each platform serves a different purpose. Using relatable examples such as Dongaon Local—a ghee brand and one of our producer partners—posting a reel about how their small batch products are created in by the women in the Dongaon village, Ashish helped participants reimagine their own stories to create compelling digital content for social media, and talk about their work in ways that evoke emotion, beyond only focussing on direct sales.
This was followed by a hands-on exercise, where participants brainstormed post ideas for their own brand, guided by simple prompts. By the end of the day, each participant had at least one actionable content idea they could share online—along with a stronger sense of what makes their work special.
Day 2: Sustainable Packaging and Labeling Compliance: Balancing Purpose, Practicality, and Design
Khushboo, the facilitator, shared and displayed a diverse range of packaging materials—paper, fabric, jute—that participants could affordably adopt for their small businesses, without breaking the bank, which was a big concern they expressed during the session. Photos by Team Locavore.
The second day of the workshop began with a session focused on sustainable packaging, led by Khushboo Gandhi, founder of the Go Do Good Studio, building a waste-to-wealth economy by using local Indian materials and processes. This session encouraged participants to look beyond packaging as just a covering or a container. Through conversation and reflection, Khushboo invited the group to think about packaging as a vital part of communication, compliance, and sustainability—one that shapes how customers perceive the brand and its values.
Khushboo brought along a variety of packaging samples—from glass jars and paper boxes to compostable films and foil laminates. Participants could touch, see, and compare them, understanding the differences in cost, texture, and environmental impact. This hands-on approach helped demystify terms like “biodegradable,” “recyclable,” and “compostable,” which are often used interchangeably but mean very different things in practice.
She prompted participants to consider what happens to their packaging once it leaves their hands: Where is it coming from? Where will it end up? These simple yet powerful questions immediately sparked discussions on the lifecycle of their packaging, revealing how many entrepreneurs had never traced the full journey of their materials.
Following this, the discussion shifted to how packaging decisions balance function, sustainability, and aesthetics. Participants explored what sustainable really means for a small business: choosing materials that protect the product, aligning with brand values, while still remaining affordable. Khushboo shared stories of brands that had successfully transitioned to eco-friendly materials—and others that had struggled—highlighting the practical trade-offs that come with every choice.
Participants performed a similar “label audit” for their own products through a checklist, identifying areas of improvement and change, while adhering to FSSAI's ever-changing guidelines for label compliance. Photos by Team Locavore.
For the second half of the day, we had a session conducted by Fiona Arakal, Director at Ishka Farms, focused on labelling compliance as per FSSAI—an area that can often feel intimidating to small producers and FPOs. Through clear explanations and relatable examples from her own experience, the session covered what every food label must include under FSSAI and Legal Metrology guidelines.
The session began by discussing what makes a label more than just a legal requirement; how it can build trust, transparency, and visibility on a crowded shelf. Followed by using real examples from her own products, Fiona guided the group through the anatomy of a label, dividing it into three key areas—the front, back, and side panel, and the elements needed and recommended for each section. Mandatory FSSAI and Legal Metrology requirements, including nutritional panels, net weight, manufacturing and expiry details, batch numbers, and the correct use of veg and non-veg symbols, were discussed.
The activity involved examining compliant and non-compliant labels, spotting errors, and differences such as missing FSSAI numbers, incorrect font sizes, and incomplete ingredient lists. Participants performed a similar “label audit” for their own products through a checklist, identifying areas of improvement and change.
By the end, many participants expressed how this practical, demystified approach helped them understand compliance not as a legal burden but as a tool for credibility and customer confidence and trust.
Day 3: Digital Marketing Basics and Reflections
During the final session, participants shared what they learnt over the span of three days, and the first thing they would apply to their own brands. Photos by Team Locavore.
The final day returned to digital marketing, but this time with a focus on building comfort and clarity. Many participants had expressed uncertainty about the basics—such as how to create an Instagram post, use hashtags effectively, or engage with customers online.
In response, the Locavore team designed the session as a practical, beginner-friendly guide to online promotion. Participants revisited their brand stories from the first session, Ashish Sharma discussed what kind of content resonates with audiences, and explored the value of consistency over perfection.
Through live demos and open discussions, common doubts were clarified—from how to take better product photos using mobile phones, to how often to post, and how to measure engagement.
The day also served as a space for reflection and feedback. Participants shared what they had learned across the three days and what they planned to apply next—whether redesigning a label, updating their packaging, or making their first social media post.
Bringing It All Together
Across three days, what stood out most was the collective learning energy. Each session built on the previous one—from telling your story, to choosing packaging that reflects your values, to designing labels that are compliant and build trust.
Participants left not just with notes and templates, but with a renewed sense of clarity and confidence in communicating who they are and what they stand for.
At The Locavore, we love planning and executing events that highlight India’s diverse local foods, celebrating community, sustainability, and cultural heritage. Our events feature engaging workshops, discussions, immersive experiences and other formats that connect you to India’s rich food culture. Interested in collaborating or having us organise an event? Reach out at connect@thelocavore.in.
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