How a former tea taster and investment banker established a rural mini-mart chain with an Rs 82 crore turnover

Sameer Gandotra began his career as a tea taster before shifting to investment banking after earning an MBA from Wharton Business School. In 2019, he co-founded the Frendy chain of mini and micro marts with Gowrav Vishwakarma, Ninad Patel, and Harshad Joshi.Sameer explains, "Despite the excitement around e-commerce, rural residents were overlooked. The essential elements of trust and last-mile service were lacking. Our research showed that a purely digital approach wouldn't work because these customers had no experience with modern retail. So, we developed a 'phygital' model that combines physical and digital aspects."Currently, Frendy operates 24 mini-marts across small towns in Gujarat such as Chitroda, Khodiyarnagar, Nikol, and Gondal. These stores, each between 500 and 1,000 sq. ft., offer 1,000 to 2,000 SKUs. Customers within a 1km radius can either shop in-store or order through the Frendy app for home delivery. Additionally, these mini-marts support around 4,000 micro-stores in nearby villages, many run by women. These micro-stores, about 50 sq. ft. each, typically stock 100-200 SKUs and serve customers within a 500m radius. Based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Frendy, operating under the name Areli Commerce Pvt Ltd, had a turnover of Rs. 82 crore in the last financial year. They offer approximately 5,000 SKUs, including beauty products, groceries, pooja essentials, and kitchen accessories, with 300 of their own products. Since launching, the brand has served over 100,000 households.Sameer Gandotra was born in Kolkata in 1976. His father, Ashok Gandotra, worked as a tea taster for Bush Tea Company and was the captain of the Indian Under-19 cricket team, even playing two test matches for India. After leaving his job to start his own tea company when Sameer was about eight years old, Sameer witnessed the entrepreneurial journey firsthand. They moved to a smaller house, and Sameer helped his father pack tea for export to the UK and Canada. The family business, Tea Mark Export Company, continues to operate today.