From College Experiment to ₹14 Crore Success: How Varun Raheja is Transforming Post-Harvest Processing

New Delhi, February 17, 2026: While many students focused on campus placements, Varun Raheja from Indore chose a different path — experimenting with solar drying and composting. Today, he is the founder of Raheja Solar Food Processing Pvt Ltd, a company that manufactures solar dryers and is transforming the post-harvest ecosystem for farmers, generating an annual revenue of ₹14 crore in FY 2024-25.

Turning a Traditional Concept into Innovation

Solar drying is not new in India. For generations, households have used sunlight to dry papads, pickles, and other produce. Varun applied this age-old principle to develop solar dryers that reduce post-harvest losses for farmers, increasing their income. According to industry data, Indian farmers lose over ₹1.5 lakh crore annually due to post-harvest wastage.

Identifying the Problem and Crafting a Solution

Modern retail and quick-commerce sectors demand uniform size and appearance in produce. Around 20–30% of high-quality farm products are often rejected because they don’t meet market standards, leading to significant waste at the farm level. Varun’s solution — food processing through solar drying — addresses this challenge. He also launched a D2C brand, Bear Fruit, which converts visually rejected fruits into healthy, preservative-free dried snacks, creating value from what would otherwise be wasted.

Building the Company

Varun completed his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Medicaps University, Indore in 2018. His first solar dryer was built in 2017-18 using his personal savings of around ₹25,000–30,000. He formally registered his firm in 2018, which was later incorporated as Raheja Solar Food Processing Pvt Ltd in 2019. A pivotal moment in his journey was an internship under Padma Shri Dr. Janak Palta McGilligan, where he gained practical insights into sustainable technology and its impact on farmer income.

Shark Tank India Breakthrough

Varun appeared with his mother Babita Raheja on Shark Tank India Season 4, pitching solutions to reduce post-harvest losses and boost farmer income. He sought ₹50 lakh for 1% equity. The Sharks offered ₹1.75 crore for 7% equity, valuing the company at approximately ₹40 crore. Following the show, Raheja Solar Food Processing expanded its farmer network to over 65,000 users, strengthened its IoT-enabled solar dryers, and is projected to exceed ₹25 crore in revenue in FY 2025-26.

National and International Reach

The company has installed over 8,000 solar dryers across 26 Indian states and expanded internationally to countries such as Kenya, Malawi, Indonesia, and Bhutan. Varun’s innovation not only provides sustainable solutions but also empowers farmers, reduces waste, and creates profitable business opportunities.

Varun Raheja’s journey demonstrates how curiosity, experimentation, and persistence can turn a college project into a multi-crore enterprise impacting lives across the globe.