Orange Herb: From tiny room to wellness powerhouse | Fusion - WeRIndia

Orange Herb, founded by Delhi-based entrepreneur Suman Sukhija, is a wellness startup that has quickly reshaped India’s niche medicinal mushroom market.

What began as a small experiment inside a 100-square-foot room has evolved into a multi-lab enterprise producing Cordyceps militaris, saffron, and microgreens, with an annual revenue of nearly ₹40 lakh from Cordyceps alone.

Suman entered the field without scientific training or business experience.

Her venture began after discovering mushroom cultivation online and later pursuing specialised training in Cordyceps farming.

Upon returning home, she converted a tiny room into a makeshift laboratory, investing over ₹11 lakh in equipment like autoclaves, BOD incubators, and laminar flow units.

Her early days were filled with trial and error. She overcrowded shelves with cultures and lost her entire first batch to contamination.

Instead of quitting, she disciplined herself to follow strict protocols, sterilisation routines, controlled environments, and scientific workflows, which became the backbone of her startup.

As demand for her products grew, Suman expanded from one room in Rohini to a fully equipped 250 sq ft lab in Dwarka.

She later added two more labs through family partnerships, raising total production to 16-20 kg of Cordyceps per cycle.

Suman’s son, Rahul, joined to manage operations, helping Orange Herb scale professionally.

The brand now offers Cordyceps tea and capsules, each priced at ₹2,800, and caters to athletes, elderly individuals, and health-conscious consumers.

Complying with FSSAI and GST regulations, Orange Herb has become a trusted wellness brand.

Beyond sales, Orange Herb has had a significant social impact:

• Over 1,000 students trained in Cordyceps and saffron cultivation
• Hands-on workshops that provide free starter cultures
• Strong digital outreach that educates thousands through YouTube
• New labs launched by her trainees across India

Many of her students, including first-time entrepreneurs, credit Suman for helping them build profitable ventures in a field they once found intimidating.

Orange Herb faced several hurdles in its early years:

• High initial investment due to a lack of guidance
• Frequent contamination, leading to wiped-out batches
• Difficulty managing scientific equipment without formal training
• Scaling constraints until more space and manpower became available

However, Suman’s persistence and willingness to learn transformed these obstacles into stepping stones.

Orange Herb stands today as a powerful example of how disciplined work, scientific learning, and digital outreach can turn a small home experiment into a high-impact wellness startup.

Image Credit: Orangeherb Website Screenshot

Image Reference: https://www.orangeherb.com/