Seattle-based Upaya Social Ventures invests in small and growing social enterprises in India to create dignified jobs for low-income people. Its latest investment is in Country Chicken, a Hyderabad-based business that sources eggs and meat from smallholder and backyard farmers in rural India.
The enterprise works with more than a thousand farmers, paying them a fair wage for their products and providing them with sustainable livestock management training. “Partnering with Upaya is instrumental in scaling our vision while staying rooted in impact,” said Sikesh Goud, who founded Country Chicken four years ago.
Upaya’s investment will be used “to connect, collaborate and empower rural farmers, especially women, to create sustainable livelihoods.”
Dignified livelihoods
With food adulteration a growing threat to public health in India, Country Chicken aims to increase availability of meat and eggs that are raised naturally and free from steroids, antibiotics and other harmful additives. Its mobile app allows customers to order online from a network of “clean, hygienic and customer-friendly” retail stores.
“Country Chicken is transforming both what we eat and how it’s brought to our tables,” said Upaya’s AB Chakravarth. “Their model uplifts rural farmers, modernizes a critical sector, and champions better norms for what we eat and how rural communities earn.”
Country Chicken is Upaya’s 43rd investment. The firm’s portfolio companies have created over 50,000 dignified jobs in India since 2011.
