Just like us, are you too a mango lover? Then we’ve got something interesting that might also give you a chance to enjoy this delicious fruit straight from the farm. A Kerala-based entrepreneur turned this wish into a unique business idea that lets people “rent” a mango tree and enjoy its harvest without doing any farming work. Scroll down to know more!
Kerala-Based Entrepreneur Lets You Rent A Mango Tree
Kochi-based entrepreneur Umesh Damodaran used to run an ed-tech startup in Bengaluru between 2018 and 2023. During those years, he travelled frequently between Bengaluru and Kerala. As per The Hindu, on one such trip, he found export-quality Alphonso mangoes in Palakkad, Kerala. He carried a few boxes back to Bengaluru and shared them with his neighbours and teammates. Everyone loved the taste and texture of the mangoes.
Soon, one neighbour asked him to bring more mangoes during his next visit. Since Umesh travelled on the same route often, he agreed. Later, the neighbour made an interesting request. The family asked if they could get the entire harvest from one mango tree. That simple question gave Umesh the idea to start a business called Rent a Tree.
That neighbour’s family became the company’s first customer. Umesh says he did not know whether the idea would work commercially. However, he soon realised that customers liked the emotional connection with the produce. Each family enjoyed having fruits from their own tree and even shared the mangoes with friends and relatives.
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How To Lease Mango Trees?
Right now, Rent a Tree manages around 250 acres of Alphonso mango farms spread across Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, Dindigul in Tamil Nadu, and Palakkad in Kerala. If you love mangoes, you can actually lease your own mango tree through their website.
According to The Hindu, all you need to do is create an account online and pick a tree based on how many mangoes you want. The platform offers three options. The base plan gives around 30 to 50 kg of mangoes. The standard plan offers about 45 to 75 kg. If you want more, the max plan can give 60 to 90 kg of mangoes from one tree. The company also keeps customers updated about their trees’ condition two to four times every month, so you know what’s happening on the farm.
The mango harvest season usually lasts about four months, but it changes depending on the location. In Palakkad, mango picking starts in February. Meanwhile, farms in Tamil Nadu continue producing fruits until June. During this season, workers harvest mangoes every two weeks and then send them to customers across India.
So far, about 160 customers have rented mango trees. The starting price for a tree is ₹10,300, and it increases as the harvest season gets closer. For now, the company has limited the number of trees available for rent to 200.
Renting trees is not the only thing they do. The startup also sells mangoes directly to customers. If there are extra mangoes after deliveries, the company uses them to make mango pulp.
According to Umesh, this model also helps farmers in a big way. Normally, farmers harvest mangoes when they are only about 75% ripe because fully ripe fruits spoil very quickly. Later, traders often use artificial chemicals to ripen them faster. This can affect both the taste and health of the fruit. Rent a Tree tries to change that. The company sends naturally harvested mangoes directly to customers instead of using artificial ripening methods.
What are your thoughts on this? Tell us in the comments below!
Cover Image Courtesy: Instagram/ rent_a_tree_official
FAQs
Can you lease a mango tree?
Yes, a company named, Rent A Tree, lets you lease a mango tree.
Who is the owner of Rent A Tree?
Rent A Tree is owned by Kochi-based entrepreneur Umesh Damodaran.
How to rent a tree?
To rent a tree, you can go to their official website and pick a tree you want.