Our Luke’s Wellness Market turns 1!

It was exactly a year ago on the 17th of December, 2018, we launched our first ‘free trade’ farmers and wellness market. We use the word – free trade, as we wanted to create a platform where every rupee goes back to the farmers directly, no middleman, no rental cost, no table cost and every single rupee earned at our markets would go back to the farmers.
Why?

The objective was simple. I use food as medicine and we do not have the right quality food available. From adulteration to using false organic labels, food is a business that has grown corrupt over the years. If me and my amazing team use food and lifestyle as medicine to treat the deadliest diseases, we needed the right food chain and so we decided to create it. One farmer, one suburb, one state at a time.
Connect the farmers and vendors directly to the consumers so produce from the farms can reach tables at home directly.
Help the farmers and motivate them to grow more, by creating a sustainable market.
Build a community that support holistic lifestyle and living.
Reset the food chain of the country.
Support home bakers and cooks who are doing an ethical job of churning out real healthy food.
Create a range of foods and products from daily use, to floor cleaners, household goods, cosmetics, oils, salts, lifestyle products, cosmetics to natural supplements, superfoods, local and fresh produce, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds etc.
We handle thousands of patients ranging from cancer, heart, diabetes, autoimmune to skin, hair, obesity issues and we intended to create a place where we keep connecting them with the very best foods and products with a direct connection to the farmers.

What we achieved –

Over 22 markets spanning Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad etc, with over ten thousand and more people supporting and visiting these markets.
100 plus farmers have been engaged into a continuous supply model with the consumers directly.
We teamed up with the government body FSSAI to help the farmers get their certifications in place and to begin the real and true authentic organic process of farming.
Created a page on Facebook ( Luke’s holistic health store – https://www.facebook.com/groups/holistichealthstore/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lukeswellnessmarket/) – a platform of engagement where consumers can engage directly with the farmers and buy directly from them with no middle man and we saw fifty five thousand members participate actively on this page, supporting our farmers and vendors.
Our amazing farmers and vendors were so open to feedback and change that there were brands who we encouraged to move away from plastic to glass, refined sugar to pure jaggery, refined oils to cold pressed oils and they made the changes without any protest.
More and more home bakers and cooks began to increase their list of produce to supply consumers, encouraging more livelihood.
Farmers and vendors helped one and other and what was born was a community with one vision – A clean and ethical food chain and a better country.
The best for the last but not the least – We connected farmers directly with Tata Memorial Hospital to supply the best quality produce to cancer patients and farmers and vendors happily participated in this supply chain as we have a strong goal to ensure better food in hospitals across the country, slowly and steadily.
International orders increased for many vendors as people across the world also paid that extra shipping to get ethical food and produce.

I have to thank….

All our farmers who believed in our vision and continue to work with zeal and passion to churn out the best and not just focus on top line.
Karan, Arnav (RESET, Bangalore) for giving out space with a zero cost to our farmers.
Durga Raheja, who through our ‘Beyond Medicine ‘program, gave a large platform to so many farmers to sell their produce and products in her beautiful set up.
The ‘Green Sheikh’ His highness Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Nauimi, who personally visited every farmer and vendor to understand more about what they were doing and their vision. This motivated our farmers extensively.
Khyati and Taarika from my team that have led this venture through the year.
Niti for putting in effort with all the creatives and making sure everything works seamlessly.
Many of my clients who have made personal large donations to help our farmers as well.
All of our consumers, people who took time out to visit our markets which on several occasions, farmers and vendors were completely sold out.

I have learnt so much from our farmers and the wealth of produce in our own country and that’s something to be so proud of. It’s been a great fulfilling year and its now time to take this across the country. We might as well support good food as the food we eat feeds our cells and the health of every cell decides our overall health. Farmers are the most important people in our lives and we need to support them in any way we can. Even if you can’t, just a prayer or good energy will do.

Here are some words from the farmers. Each of you help when you support them:

Vikram Mittal of Mavi’s Commbucha – MAVI’s CommBucha has been with Luke’s wellness market since its inception on Dec 17, 2018. It has really helped us make people aware about the variety of probiotic nutrient rich food available in India. It has helped us by giving us a platform to showcase our homemade products in different cities.
The people who are part of the FB group and who come to the market always are more aware and interested in trying new products for themselves and the family. People always give us a fantastic reception at markets and they love our story of a small brand coming out and making a difference.We would like to continue adding value to the market and the platform by catering to all the people who are looking for healthier alternatives. Luke himself and the market encourage us to experiment with new things and bring it to people for a direct feedback. Thank you, team, for making us a part of this great venture.
Rahul Patil of Wandering Foodie – The experience has always been seamless. The markets are very well-organized and the profile of visitors is the best we have seen compared to any other market. It has surely impacted business positively! We get a lot of repeat orders from visitors in the market. Also, we were able to get into Tata Memorial Hospital, thanks to these markets and Luke. Experience is always good as visitors are aware of the benefits of our products, so it is much easier to engage. We would thank Luke for building this awareness. We always look forward to Luke’s markets!
Tejal Solanki of Sourdough Bakes by Ani & Tej – It was always an honour to be part of the Luke’s Wellness Market for us. It was amazing experience and very happy we the home bakers got such professional platform with the holistic approach have been reached to all for the food and the lifestyle. Yes, the Wellness market also gave us the new queries and the clients who made us to make more innovations in our sourdough Bakes. Luke and his team have been always supportive and loved that they do verify each product and allowed to be on the stall and always they have guided us wherever it was needed. We enjoyed not only the presence of the visitors at our stall of all the ages and to get compliments and suggestions where we are the best and where we can improve but also we got to know other vendors and likeminded tribe with new products we can bring at home and can use or consume guilt free. Thank you, and Best wishes to all of you for the 1st Anniversary of the Luke’s wellness Market. Looking forward for many more. Good luck, Sourdough Bakes by Ani&Tej

Riddhi Jain of Urvi Naturals – The experience was really good. The listing and post were executed very well. Yes it impacted our business in a positive way. Traffic on website has increased and we got really good loyal permanent customers. The experience and engagement were good and we got footfall from all over India.

Megha of Juicy Chemistry – Being a 100% Certified Organic skincare brand, Luke’s wellness market was just the right platform for us to connect with like-minded businesses who are trying to make an impact. We also got a chance to explore different markets and an opportunity to educate buyers about the significance of organic personal care products. It was definitely a delightful experience and we would love to be part of all the upcoming markets.
Shweta Khandelwal of MatruAyurveda – Participating in the markets has been great experience both in terms of sales as well as interacting with the visitors. What makes this market different is the type of crowd which attends is a very well aware, educated and committed bunch of people who are ready to or have adopted. A lifestyle changes. So, they understand our products better. Our business really took off after getting featured on the holistic health store page. The products listed there have become our bestsellers. Our experience with interacting with buyers has been overall good, but we really wish buyers contact us before just posting negative comments about any product ESP the natural hair colour. Since it is a natural product some amount of trial and effort is required to get the desired results for some people. Hence, we write a letter to each customer to contact us in case there are any problems, but they don’t and rather decide to go and post on the page which is sad since we are always ready to help. Also, I wish the happy customers would. Also write their experience.Thanks is such a small word. I am grateful to Luke and his wonderful team for providing this opportunity to feature our products on the page and I promise that knowingly I would not do anything which would go against the vision of Luke and his team for creating this kind of platform.
Sarrah Kapasi of D-alive – The experience was great; the team has been so supportive and easy to coordinate with that we feel truly welcome to drive a positive change. We need many more such initiatives and people coming together to promote small businesses like ourselves trying to lead a change and I think Luke and the entire team are a stellar example of it. It has definitely added value to the brand to be associated with the brand. Sales in direct proportion could have more impact but overall it has definitely brought in some growth. All buyers are different. We like some and we hate some. But it is a lot easier to communicate to an audience who is already educated and aware about certain health myths and truths. We would love to know the gaps in the product sectors so we can fill those. As a market I’m sure y’all understand potentials and we would love to get back feedback as well, from even the buyers. So, a feedback system for vendors as well. The other thing is that collectively all vendors should do bundling and sales promotions in order to boost sales for everyone cohesively and put forward a better set of offers and offerings for the consumers.
Rhea Chabbria of SuckIn Straw – Luke’s Wellness Market has helped us introduce our start up Suckin Eco Straws to a very aware and eco-conscious audience. We have had the opportunity to interact and serve genuine buyers. We have been fortunate to have displayed our range of eco-friendly products not only in Mumbai but in Ahmedabad which opened up a new market for us. Luke and his entire team especially Khyati have gone out of their way to help us and for that we are forever grateful.
Kaushal Dongre of Paawak Foods – It has been a great experience. The biggest benefit is the chance to interact with potential customers directly and get feedback from them. Participation certainly has helped us increase brand value of our products. Companies rarely get a chance to interact with consumers directly and this as an excellent platform for the same. you guys are doing a wonderful job of making people aware of the benefits of adopting a healthy lifestyle. Our warmest wishes to the whole team.
Ashnu Nichani of Bites of Bliss – We had a great experience at all the markets we took part in. The markets have had a positive impact and has helped us widen our reach to customers looking for the healthier organic range as compared to our regular health food range. The markets brought together many health-conscious people under one roof and it helped us gauge their requirements and meet it each time in the best possible way. We have really enjoyed being a part of this journey so far and wish to continue to go from strength to strength together. Please help us know the schedule of events for the upcoming year.

Monita Mehra of Svaguna – As a brand Luke doesn’t need an introduction in the health and fitness domain. His dedication and research have earned him the identity that people trust. We remember how particular Luke and his team was about testing and checking each product from our company before inviting us to the market. This uncompromising attitude is really what it takes to earn the name and the trust. As a brand, we at Svaguna, always look for opportunities to interact directly with the end consumers. Luke’s Wellness Market gives us an amazing platform to do that. It has helped us to build a dedicated base of conscious customers in multiple cities – who are further spreading the word about our products. What else can you expect! Happy to be a part of Luke’s wellness market and look forward to amazing years ahead.
Niharika Bhargava of The Little Farm Co. – It has been great for the little farm co. specially in terms of reaching out to customers who genuinely are looking for products like ours but being a small start-up and limited funds, we were not able to have such a reach. Being a part of the market has bridged that gap for us. When customers hear it from the industry experts that truly helps in building the trust. It has affected our sales in a positive way with regular loyal customers. The experience was great the customers are receptive. All thanks to Luke and team for all the great efforts and how they go above and beyond. Means a lot to start ups like ours.
Keya Salot of Farm 2 Fam – Luke’s wellness market has been a great platform for us. Having participated in several markets, we strongly believe that the market has helped us create awareness about our product – microgreens and engage in sustaining a relationship between the end consumers and microgreens. We have received several subscriptions from the wellness market and most of our clients have renewed the subscription as Luke explains the impact of each product on health. We are very grateful to the team for hosting such markets. Thank you.
Pankaj Gohil of Sahi Kitchen – The planning and execution of the entire Wellness Markets has been flawless and excellent. Khyati has always been there and has been working closely with us at every level. We have had the pleasure of meeting and serving more customers at the markets. Also, it has motivated us to innovate and offer more options of healthy meals to our customers. It has been a wonderful experience interacting with customers.
Suramya Jain of RAS Luxury Oils – The experience at the market has been great as we are able to interact with our right target audience and who genuinely believe in the power of natural & organic products. There has been a positive impact on the business and have have been able to create brand awareness as well. The experience has been very amazing as the buyers and customers really are interested in such products and they engage with us in the right way and it has positively benefitted our online and offline sales. The vibe and feel of the market and the people and the other vendors as well are super nice and it really feels very authentic. we are very glad that we are able to be a part of it.
Shivani Chaudhari of Crashola – We are one of the privileged vendors who have been participating in Luke’s Wellness Market since its launch. The complete arrangements for the market have always been well planned and executed to the mark. Prior to Luke’s Wellness Market we spent a good amount of time educating the masses with healthy eating concepts but with Luke’s Market in place, we came across health enthusiasts who already knew the holistic way of living which helped us bond stronger with every individual. This has helped us focus more on increasing our product line and giving the audience the quality, they desire. The Market helps us showcase the products we manufacture and connect with the consumers directly allowing us to spread enough knowledge about the origin of the product to the process of manufacturing, how to consume and their nutritional health benefits. It has been a very lively experience on the holistic health store catering to enquiries, queries and getting in touch with the audience personally and instantly which makes them believe in Our Brand stronger. Thank You so much for your Support!
Mishal Pardiwala of TreeWear – Being part of Luke’s Wellness market over the last year has been a fantastic experience for us. We have reached an audience vital to our business who really care about the cause of a better self and a better planet. We have seen a lot a growth by being associated with Luke’s Wellness market. Apart from the sales, which have been fantastic, we have seen people actively engage with our business online and offline. Also, more people have come across our brand and the increased presence has really paid off. It is super easy. If you are well poised as a business to join Luke’s Wellness market, it can be an amazing platform to reach out to and interact with people who are genuinely interested in better alternatives. Interacting with people who are part of Luke’s circle is always fulfilling and we have been presented with many great opportunities since being a part of Luke’s Wellness market. We at TreeWear really appreciate being a part of the Wellness market. It is truly a great platform for businesses to expand in a meaningful way. We appreciate the hard work put in by the Luke’s Wellness market team to create such well organized and energetic events!
Jharna of Raindew – It has been a great pleasure and privilege to participate in Luke’s Wellness markets. Raindew has definitely benefited due to this prestigious platform, as this has been yet another great way for an independent label such as ours to reach out to a larger audience…..meeting customers face to face always helps, as it gives us the satisfaction that we have been able to answer their queries. Thanks to the overwhelming response we could increase our customer base many folds. Needless to say, the arrangements made have always been fantastic and the entire experience right from start was absolutely great…. kudos to you and your team!