About Us

GramHeet is a social enterprise committed to building a sustainable food system that ensures secured livelihoods for smallholder farmers and provides nutritious, toxin-free food for all while promoting environmental sustainability.

Recognizing the deep-rooted challenges of agrarian distress, we integrate technological innovation with community-driven collaboration to create long-term, scalable solutions. Our farmer-centric approach addresses critical gaps in agriculture by providing holistic services that reduce cultivation costs, improve soil health, and enhance environmental sustainability. By bridging the gap between farmers and markets, we empower rural communities with fair opportunities, ensuring a resilient and equitable food and agricultural ecosystem.

Our Vision

To envision a sustainable food system where every farmer cultivates with dignity and feeds the world with pride.

Our Mission

To Transform farming into a sustainable and profitable business for 2 million smallholder farmers by 2030.

Our Core Values

Our Founders

At GramHeet, the story begins with two individuals united by a common mission and a deep personal connection to India’s farming communities. Pankaj Mahalle and Shweta Thakare, co-founders, both hail from the Vidarbha region, a part of India that has long been at the forefront of agrarian distress. Having grown up witnessing the immense challenges faced by smallholder farmers, they were driven by a shared vision: to create sustainable solutions that empower farmers and transform the Indian food and agriculture system.

At GramHeet, the journey is driven by two individuals with a shared mission and a deep-rooted connection to India’s farming communities. Co-founders Pankaj Mahalle and Shweta Thakare, both from Vidarbha — one of India’s most distressed agrarian regions — did not just witness the struggles of smallholder farmers; they lived them. Their firsthand experiences ignited a common vision: to build a sustainable food system that empower farmers and drive systemic transformation in India's food and agriculture sector.

Pankaj Mahalle

Co-founder and CEO

Hailing from a smallholder farming family in Yavatmal district, the most distressed agrarian region of India. Having faced the struggles of a farming community, he decided to dedicate his life to working for the farming community. After graduating in 2009, Pankaj founded Kastkar, an initiative aimed at improving smallholder farmers’ access to better market opportunities and increasing their income. His grassroots work with Kastkar deepened his understanding of agrarian challenges, inspiring him to pursue a master’s in Livelihoods and Social Entrepreneurship from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.

Before founding GramHeet, Pankaj spent three years in the CSR division of Tata Steel, supporting tribal farmers in strengthening their livelihoods. Building on these experiences, he started GramHeet, a social enterprise dedicated to creating an inclusive and sustainable food system for smallholder farmers.

His contributions to social impact and innovation in India’s food system have earned him several prestigious fellowships and recognitions, including the Acumen Fellowship (2020), Social Alpha Entrepreneurs for Impact Fellowship (2019), and Asia Development Fellowship (2022) and U.S.-India Emerging Climate Leader. He was also featured in Forbes Asia 100 to Watch (2022) and honoured with the 100 Meaningful Business Award (2023).

Pankaj Mahalle

Co-founder and CEO

Shweta Thakare

Co-founder and COO

Born and raised in a farming community, Shweta has dedicated her career to transforming India’s agricultural landscape by designing innovative solutions that improve the well-being of smallholder farmers. With over eleven years of experience in the agriculture sector, she has been at the forefront of creating sustainable and scalable models for farmer empowerment.

Before founding GramHeet, Shweta co-founded Kastkar, an initiative aimed at supporting smallholder farmers through technology and community-driven solutions. She mobilized a network of 280 volunteers and collaborated with 15 government departments to establish a mobile-based helpline, reaching 12,000 farmers in Yavatmal district, Maharashtra.

Shweta holds a master’s degree in Development Studies from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad, and a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Amravati University. Her contributions to agricultural transformation have been recognised through several prestigious fellowships and recognitions, including features in Forbes Asia and Forbes India for GramHeet’s innovation in agriculture, Upaya & MIT D-Labs Fellowship (2020), Lead Tribe Fellowship (2020), Westerwelle Foundation Fellowship (2021), Pusa Krishi Fellowship (2021), and Action for India Fellowship (2022).