The mango season is almost here, and it is time to enjoy some freshly harvested “king of fruits.” India is the world’s largest mango producer, accounting for over 45% of global production with an annual output of roughly 20–22 million tonnes. India is also home to 1,000 varieties of mangoes grown across the country.
While we all love our mangoes, not everyone has the luxury of plucking fresh, juicy fruits from their own backyard. A Kerala-based startup is trying to change this by allowing people to pick their own mangoes, even without owning a tree.
Lease your own mango tree
Rent A Tree is an agri-startup founded by Umesh Damodaran, a mechanical engineer-turned-entrepreneur. As the name suggests, Rent A Tree allows users to “rent” mango trees for a season and harvest the fruits when they are ready, while the startup takes care of the plant’s upkeep.
Umesh, who grew up on a farm in the Kottayam District, ran an edtech startup in Bengaluru between 2018 and 2023. According to him, the idea of leasing mango trees emerged from a random conversation with a neighbor.
“Once, while I was travelling to Bengaluru, I got some Alfonso mangoes from Dindigal, Tamil Nadu. I shared some with my friends and teammates in Bengaluru. I also gave one to my neighbours. She liked it very much and asked me if I could get her more of it the next time. Later, she asked me if she could get the entire fruit from a tree. It is this question that opened my eyes to a new business idea,” Umesh told LiveMint.
Started with five acres
That is how, in 2023, Rent A Tree was born, with the goal of allowing non-farmers to lease a mango tree for a season and enjoy its harvest.
Rent A Tree started with a small, leased five-acre farm in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, seeing its first harvest season in 2024. According to Umesh, the first season was a success, which encouraged him to lease another 100 acres the following year. Today, Rent A Tree’s Alphonso mango farms spread across 250 acres in Ratnagiri (Maharashtra), Dindigul (Tamil Nadu), and Palakkad (Kerala).
Naturally ripened mangoes anywhere in India
“We started listing healthy trees online for individual tree leasing. Anyone can take a single tree for lease for a season, and the entire harvest of that tree will be theirs. What we offer is the promise of fresh, tree-ripened mango. Unlike large farms, where mangoes are harvested at 70-75 per cent maturity and ripened using chemicals, we pick them fully ripened. We also allow our customers to harvest the mangoes themselves, or we can ship the fruits to them, anywhere in India,” he said.
30 kg mangoes guaranteed
Umesh said Rent A Tree guarantees a minimum of 30 kg of mangoes from a tree per season, which is the base package. Customers can also choose packages ranging from 45–75 kg to 60–90 kg of mangoes a season, based on their needs. The packages start at ₹7,500 for a season.
Rent A Tree also provides free delivery and regular updates to customers, including videos showing the condition of their leased trees. For those unable to harvest the mangoes themselves, the startup handles the shipping.
“The mango harvesting window is a forty-five-day period between April and May. We are expecting like 3-4 tranches this season, and the harvest will be shipped to the customers in two-week intervals,” he said.
Plans expansion across India
Currently, Rent A Tree has around 200 customers, and Umesh says they receive dozens of inquiries every day. Working with a 10-member team, Umesh is upbeat about the future of the model and is on a path to expanding the startup’s footprint to more parts of the country.
“We have a vision board for up to 2029 right now. We are also getting a lot of enquiries from farmers, especially from Maharashtra and Gujarat, who want to join us. In the past few months alone, we have received offers for more than 2000 acres of mango orchards,” he said.
Benefits for farmers
According to him, such initiatives help local farmers secure better, guaranteed prices while giving customers the best, naturally ripened mangoes available.
“The farmers see what we offer, and they are ready to join hands with us. From July to December, we plan to travel across India and meet farmers, test their produce for quality, before making them available to our customers. And for customers, our promise will always be fresh, tree-ripened mangoes,” he said.
Key Takeaways
- The startup model encourages local farmers to secure better prices while providing consumers with high-quality, naturally ripened mangoes.
- Rent A Tree’s approach offers a sustainable way for non-farmers to engage with agriculture and enjoy fresh produce.
- The rental model has the potential to expand to other fruits or crops, promoting local farming and customer involvement.
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