Yashpal Cold Storage
The cold storage market in India is fragmented and disorganized, with facilities largely set up on an ad-hoc basis. India has about 8,200 cold storage facilities as of 2020, of which 75% are only suitable for single commodity storage, especially potatoes, one of India’s major crops in terms of production and consumption.
The rise in online grocery, processed food and pharmaceutical sales has opened up vast opportunities for developers and third-party logistics players to develop multi-purpose cold chain facilities in India
When the SwiftnLift team had an interview with Rajani Singh about his venture known as Yashpal Cold Storage and how it started, where he envisions it, and its goals and objectives, Rajani gave some great answers. Here is a list of questions & answers from an interview session that the magazine had with Rajani and how enthusiastically and excitedly she answered those questions about this exceptional yet dynamic cold storage business they started up in India with a uniqueness.
Tell us something about yourself
I am passionate, sincere, well alert & updated on the fast-changing world technology, speed, and climate impacting the life of human beings and other living species. Born bought up in a middle-class family in a semi-urban/ rural area helped me in understanding the difficulties of common people in India, especially the farmer community.
With his acumen and vision, Late Shri Yashpal Singh with his brothers moved from Meerut district to Mathura in 1955 to expand the business of farming, sugar manufacturing & bricks kiln. In his short life of 55 years, he never forgot social responsibilities and contributed to education and other social awareness programs. With a determined and intellectually nourished mind, he is still alive in our hearts and acts as the inspiration to the whole group
With great learning from his father and sharp business acumen his son, Shri Om Prakash Singh expanded the business activities in Cold & Dry Storage of Vegetables, Grains, etc., and also ventured into the textile business (co- founded Cotton Sari Factory in Mathura). Experience blended with observation and intellect is the package for success that’s what Mr. Singh believes and represents. He is the person to induct a fresh approach to business process and played a vital role in expanding the business in the Agri sector. Now under the leadership of the next generation his daughter-in-law Smt. Rajni Singh and his Son Shri Rajendra Singh who is alumni of IIT Delhi and Columbia Business School, New York, the family expanded the business in mining, warehousing, trading, and logistics in India and overseas places for Agri, Coal, Metals & Minerals.
Tell us about Your Company
A brand owned by Yashpal Cold Storage, an ISO 9000 company. We hold the strong support of more than 1000 farmers in India’s one of the best potato land areas in Aligarh-Agra (Uttar Pradesh). We walk along with our farming community right from harvesting to final packaging, following hygienic & standard food safety procedures. We also hold an FSSAI license.
Yashpal Cold Storage is honored to serve Industry stalwarts Amazon, Flipkart, Grofers, Big Bazar, More Retail, Reliance, Mother Dairy, etc.
“Bringing predictability in the supply chain by creating a network of future in the world of the food industry”
Tell us about your education and why you chose business as a career path.
- Be your own boss
It’s personal you get to invest your time and energy into something you love
- Self – actualization
You get to build your vision instead of someone else’s
- mprove the lives of others
Starting a business means you have the opportunity to other people. It means you get to make a meaningful impact on society.
What went through your mind while establishing Yashpal Cold storage
I belong to a farmer’s family. Farmers cannot sell all one crop at any given point in time. A crop, during its season, is sold for much less price due to plenty of availability. If not consumed or stored properly a large portion of a crop can go waste. The demand however rises later and evens the price. The farmers suffer minimum wastage of their product.
With the zeal to resolve farmers’ issues, I co-founded the Cold Storage unit in her native town Aligarh. She brought support from her father-in-law Shri Om Prakash Singh who had more than five decades of experience in Agri crop harvesting and the handling of the rural market. The duo took the store among top destinations for farmers and traders.
Yashpal Cold Storage soon became the preferred choice for Potatoes among whole-sellers, retailers & e-commerce companies namely AMAZON, MORE, Big Bazar, Reliance, Big Basket, Mother Dairy, Ninja Cart, OTIPY, Zomato, Swiggy, etc.
Tell us about your products
Our main product is Potato.
Tell us about your Goals and Objectives
To bring predictability in the supply chain of vegetables from farm to fork is our main objective. We created a platform where farmers get the safety of their products around the year and also get connected with mandies, traders as well as all leading e-commerce companies. The financial & logistic support to farmers & traders reduces the challenges in the supply chain.
Our Vision is to continue further enhance our commitment and capabilities in the rural market by creating a cost-effective supply chain and food processing of Agri commodities using modern management techniques and experience. Our success lies in connecting farmers to consumers globally
What kind of challenges & opportunities do you see in this field of work?
High cost of transportation, labor productivity, uncertainty in weather conditions & pattern of the crop is a few challenges.
Growing demand for products with changing food habits in an urban area is a great opportunity for the growth of our business. The growth of e-commerce companies in fruit and vegetable deliveries has changed the landscape in the supply chain. This has become a growth driver for the companies like us in providing supply chain solutions to these companies.
Do you have any future plans to further expand your business?
We want to establish Yashpal Cold Storage branches all over India and supply our product to the international market. We are also studying our options to diversify into the dehydrated vegetable business.
Who is your biggest client, and do you cater to the client’s specific needs?
■ More Retail Ltd
■ Amazon
■ Swiggy
■ Grofers
■ Reliance
■ Big Basket
■ Mother Dairy
Delivery at the doorsteps of customers well in time with the right packaging and quality is keeping our customers intact with us since the inception of our business 10 years back. We are also giving them digital solutions to get us integrated with their systems.
Currently in how many locations do you guys provide facility centers?
We have one location for storage & packing as of date.
Dynamic Leaders in Cold Storage Solution Industry
Featured Person : Ms Rajani Singh ( Founder )
Company Name : YASHPAL COLD STORAGE
Founded Year: 1955