Business & Finance
From ₹500 to ₹5 Crore: Delhi Woman Builds Pickle Empire After Rural Struggles
Krishna Yadav, originally from Daulatpur in Uttar Pradesh, moved to Delhi with her husband and three children carrying only ₹500. After struggling to find work, she began selling pickles on a roadside stall in 2002. The venture grew into the brand Shri Krishna Pickles, offering more than 250 varieties of pickles, chutneys, marmalades and syrups, and reportedly earning over ₹5 crore annually. Yadav’s journey began when her husband, a former traffic police officer, lost his job and later failed in a vehicle trading business, forcing the family to sell their two houses. With limited resources, the family turned to sharecropping after two months of unsuccessful job searches. A turning point came when Yadav watched a television programme about a training initiative to reduce post‑harvest losses. She enrolled in a course at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, learning how to prepare pickles and murabba. The training helped her refine taste and extend shelf life, building on her childhood experience of her mother making pickles. Yadav’s initial marketing strategy involved setting up a small stall, offering free drinking water, and giving samples to passers‑by. She also took her products to local fairs. Starting with karonda pickle, she expanded to mango, chilli and lemon varieties. The business now includes a wide product portfolio and has earned Yadav recognition, including the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2016 and the NG Ranga Award in 2014. Her story illustrates how a small beginning, technical training and customer understanding can transform a roadside venture into an established food business.