When you meet Ishaan Hukku, you do not meet a typical agro founder. He did not grow up on a farm, never studied agriculture, and never imagined building a supply chain company. His story begins with consulting jobs, Excel sheets and corporate jargon that stopped making sense very early in his career.

So how did someone with zero background in farming end up building Kisaan Se Kitchen Tak, a company that now supplies fresh produce, healthy groceries and even caters to major platforms like Zepto and Zomato?

It is a journey shaped by curiosity, timing and the willingness to take risks before the path becomes clear.

Leaving Corporate for Something Real

At 21, Ishaan realised something that many discover much later. He did not enjoy consulting. The work felt repetitive and disconnected from real impact. So he quit without a plan.

He then joined a home interiors startup, which became his real business school. There he learnt to build teams, manage clients, negotiate with vendors, understand cash flow and run operations end to end. These three years, which also included navigating COVID, shaped the entrepreneur he would become.

A Friend, a Passion Project and a Major Pivot

While Ishaan was working in Mumbai, his future co founder had already begun a small farming initiative in Delhi. It started as a passion project focused on clean food for his family.

When Ishaan visited Delhi to explore the work, he unexpectedly felt drawn to the sector. He realised that agriculture had one of the most complex yet promising supply chains in India.

He also found a key insight. Farmers do not need help with farming. They need help connecting to better markets. And consumers do not just want vegetables and fruits. They want clean snacks, oils, spices, dairy and many more daily essentials.

This led to the evolution of KSKT from a farming initiative to a full scale market linkage and healthy food platform.

Today KSKT Operates in Three Power Segments

1. B2C through Kaze Living

A marketplace offering clean, organic and healthy food products across categories like fruits, vegetables, snacks, oils, grains, dairy and gourmet essentials.

2. B2B Supply Chain

Bulk supply of produce like potatoes, onions, apples, pomegranates, bananas and more to major retailers and platforms across the country.

3. Their Own D2C Brand

A collection of traditional products such as wood pressed oils, hand ground spices, heirloom grains and clean label essentials.

KSKT is also building specialised categories including diabetic friendly foods, gluten free foods, PCOS friendly foods, kids friendly products and more. Several of these will go live over the next 3 to 12 months.

The Toughest Challenge Was Not Operations

The hardest part for Ishaan was hiring and understanding people. Moving from Mumbai to Delhi brought a cultural shift in work habits and expectations.

Over time, he built his core team and refined his hiring philosophy. Degrees do not matter to him. Curiosity and willingness to figure things out matter far more. One of KSKT’s best creative leads is a class 12 passout who learnt editing in two days before the interview.

Scaling From 5000 Farmers Towards 50000

Many consider 50000 farmers a huge number. Ishaan calls it small because the overall food and grocery market is massive. The real target is India One, the top 7 to 8 percent of consumers shifting rapidly towards healthy food, a market worth roughly 2.7 lakh crore.

KSKT plans to expand to Jaipur, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Hyderabad next year.

Long term, the goal is clear. A top line of 2000 to 3000 crore, a valuation of 6000 to 8000 crore, and a profitable, IPO ready business in five years.

The Fundraising Reality

Their first fundraising effort was filled with rejections for three months. Then they rewrote the pitch with more clarity and investor focus. One yes changed everything.

Ishaan also invested his entire personal savings into the company, leaving himself with zero cash but a high equity stake. He calls it one of the biggest risks he has taken.

KSKT is now preparing for another round aimed at faster expansion across supply chain, technology, team and infrastructure.

Advice for New Founders

Ishaan shares two key lessons.

First, do not spend too much time on planning sheets. Ground reality is always different and far more important.

Second, know what not to do. Focus grows when you reject ideas that dilute direction.

For Gen Z founders, he stresses the importance of taking real ownership. When you have personal risk involved, people take you seriously and you take yourself seriously.

Hiring at KSKT

KSKT is hiring across multiple departments including marketing, operations, technology and creative roles. The fastest way to apply, according to Ishaan, is to reach out directly to the founders on LinkedIn.