Desiri Naturals: sustainable agriculture and eco-friendly business

Title

Desiri Naturals: sustainable agriculture and eco-friendly business

Creator

Saldanha A.; Veigas O.; Aranha R.

Description

Learning outcomes: After completion of the case study, the students will be able to critically analyze the business model of Desiri Naturals, analyze the pricing strategy of Desiri Naturals, examine the importance of experiential marketing in the success of an environment-friendly business, identify the challenges faced by new entrepreneurs and evaluate the sustainability practices of Desiri Naturals. Case overview/synopsis: This case study discusses the business model of an environmentally friendly business. The challenges and obstacles faced by entrepreneurs are illustrated in this case. The entrepreneurs vision to provide chemical-free food is highlighted and their business operations as a means to fulfill this vision are explained. Desiri used an age-old bull-driven method of oil extraction (Ghana). Challenges in pricing due to the availability of low-priced mass-produced edible oil using the solvent extraction process are presented in this case. The entrepreneurs faced the pricing dilemma at the inception of the business, as oil produced using the natural cold pressing method cost three times the selling pricing of solvent-extracted oil. Innovative methods of experiential marketing such as Ghana tourism are explained in this case. This case study also explains the sustainable and natural farming techniques propagated through its network of farmers. This case study provides insights into the scalability of this model and the scope for employment generation in rural India. The environmentally friendly practices followed by Desiri, such as the use of glass bottles and reusable steel containers for packaging oil are emphasized. Finally, this case presents the marketing and operational challenges faced by entrepreneurs in their quest to expand their operations. Complexity academic level: This case study can be used by postgraduate and undergraduate students studying marketing, entrepreneurship, sustainability and operations management courses in commerce and business management streams. Supplementary materials: Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code: CSS8: Marketing. 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Source

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, Vol-14, No. 3, pp. 1-18.

Date

2024-01-01

Publisher

Emerald Publishing

Subject

Awareness; Business model; Entrepreneurship; Green marketing; Marketing; Marketing management; Operations management; Organic products; Packaging; Pricing; Social marketing; Sustainability

Coverage

Saldanha A., Department of Marketing, St. Josephs Institute of Management, Bangalore, India; Veigas O., Department of General Management, St. Josephs Institute of Management, Bangalore, India; Aranha R., School of Business and Management, Christ University, Bangalore, India

Rights

Restricted Access

Relation

ISSN: 20450621

Format

Online

Language

English

Type

Article

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-02-2024-0061

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85200054789&doi=10.1108%2fEEMCS-02-2024-0061&partnerID=40&md5=9d4ac254f32cd37313bacf75368ff22e