From Milk Bottles to a Multi-Crore Enterprise: The Rise of Pooja Sharma

In the heart of a small village in Haryana, Pooja Sharma’s journey is nothing short of remarkable. There was a time when she could not even afford the five-rupee fare for an auto ride. She sold milk in small bottles. She lost her job at an anganwadi centre and was facing the kind of financial uncertainty many rural women know too well. Today, she stands at the helm of a flourishing business, running Kshitij Healthy So­ybean-Millet Products, a company valued at approximately ₹70 lakh.

Pooja’s story began with hardship. With limited education and few opportunities in her village, she took a job at the anganwadi centre but found that the income was neither stable nor sufficient to support her family. In between, she sold milk in small bottles from door to door, struggling to make ends meet. Each rupee counted. Every day brought its own challenge, but Pooja refused to give up.

A turning point arrived when she joined a local self-help group, attended training sessions offered through a non-governmental organisation, and pivoted into food processing. She spotted a gap in the market for healthy snacks made from regional staples like soybean and millets, ingredients locally abundant yet rarely marketed commercially. With sweat, perseverance, and community support, she launched her venture in the back of her village.

In less than five years, the business expanded. Pooja began sourcing raw material directly from farmers, empowering them with fair prices. She built a small production unit, hired local women as workers, and created a supply chain that reached restaurants and stores in nearby towns. The result: her business hit the ₹70-lakh mark, a huge leap from those early days of borrowed bottles and uncertain wages.

What makes Pooja’s journey significant is more than just the financial milestone. It marks a shift in mindsetfor herself, for the women she employs, and for her community. She now mentors other women, encouraging them to look beyond traditional roles. She emphasises that obstacles : poverty, job losses, small capital—need not define the end of one’s journey but can become the beginning of another.

From the struggle of affording a five-rupee auto ride to running a ₹70-lakh company, Pooja Sharma’s story is a powerful example of resilience, vision and entrepreneurial spirit. Her path highlights how grassroots innovation and women’s leadership can transform rural economies. For every woman who has been told “you cannot,” Pooja’s journey says: “you very much can.”