Grain Forests is a brand of Alswamitra that exclusively focuses on premium health products. Our products aim to encourage healthy eating, weight management and diabetic management. All our products are 100% grown the natural way and sourced directly from traditional farmers.

Grain Forests is a brand of Alswamitra that exclusively focuses on premium health products. Our products aim to encourage healthy eating, weight management and diabetic management. All our products are 100% grown the natural way and sourced directly from traditional farmers.

The Story behind Grain Forests products

It all started in the 1990s when a doctor couple set out to help the local Malaivasi tribal population with their health demands in the Sittilingi Valley in Tamil Nadu. The Tribal Health Initiative was started in 1993 by Dr. Regi George and Dr. Lalitha Regi to provide better health to the native Malaivasi population. In a decade of health services, the team realised that other socio-economic concerns need to be considered and improved to address the population's health issues holistically. This led to the formation of the Tribal Farming Initiative in 2004 with an aim to enhance farmers' financial status, escape debts and forced migration. The initiative encouraged farmers to stop mono-cropping and cash crops and return to their traditional organic farming.

The initiative became a success and was registered as a society of certified organic farmers under the name of Sittilingi Valley Organic Farmers Association (SOFA) in 2009. The 2 conditions to join SOFA was that the farming and product should be organic and 50% of the produce should be used by the farmers for their own consumption. The result was that farmers grew traditional crops like millets that needed less water and was traditionally eaten. Turmeric was grown as a cash crop to bring in the money, and the excess produce left after self-consumption was sold. This was an ingenious move – the traditional farmers got enough food and money from their livelihood. In November 2015, the Sittilingi Valley Organic Farmers Producer Company Limited was formed, with the majority shareholders being women from women's entrepreneurship groups in the valley. The company was formed to accommodate the expanding sales and market their products.Grain Forest was started as an initiative to connect these farmers with consumers who are health, environment and socially conscious. Grain Forest currently connects about 10,000 to 12,000 farmers with the market, with the numbers and product range ever-growing. We create additional work and income opportunities for women from the local and tribal communities in the processing and packing units.

The initiative became a success and was registered as a society of certified organic farmers under the name of Sittilingi Valley Organic Farmers Association (SOFA) in 2009. The 2 conditions to join SOFA was that the farming and product should be organic and 50% of the produce should be used by the farmers for their own consumption. The result was that farmers grew traditional crops like millets that needed less water and was traditionally eaten. Turmeric was grown as a cash crop to bring in the money, and the excess produce left after self-consumption was sold. This was an ingenious move – the traditional farmers got enough food and money from their livelihood. In November 2015, the Sittilingi Valley Organic Farmers Producer Company Limited was formed, with the majority shareholders being women from women's entrepreneurship groups in the valley. The company was formed to accommodate the expanding sales and market their products.Grain Forest was started as an initiative to connect these farmers with consumers who are health, environment and socially conscious. Grain Forest currently connects about 10,000 to 12,000 farmers with the market, with the numbers and product range ever-growing. We create additional work and income opportunities for women from the local and tribal communities in the processing and packing units.

It all started in the 1990s when a doctor couple set out to help the local Malaivasi tribal population with their health demands in the Sittilingi Valley in Tamil Nadu. The Tribal Health Initiative was started in 1993 by Dr. Regi George and Dr. Lalitha Regi to provide better health to the native Malaivasi population. In a decade of health services, the team realised that other socio-economic concerns need to be considered and improved to address the population's health issues holistically. This led to the formation of the Tribal Farming Initiative in 2004 with an aim to enhance farmers' financial status, escape debts and forced migration. The initiative encouraged farmers to stop mono-cropping and cash crops and return to their traditional organic farming.