Urthy Turns Citrus Waste into Natural Cleaning Products

Household cleaning is an everyday necessity, but the products used for it can create environmental concerns.

Mumbai-based startup Urthy is trying to address this gap by turning fruit waste into natural cleaning products.

The company was founded in 2022 by Sonia Verma and Farheen Ali, who wanted to take their personal experiments with bioenzymes beyond their homes.

Their solution uses discarded citrus peels, jaggery and water, which undergo fermentation to produce a natural cleaning liquid.

The founders saw potential in this simple process because it tackles two problems at once.

It gives kitchen waste a useful purpose while providing consumers with an alternative to conventional chemical-based cleaners.

Urthy’s bioenzyme products can be used for everyday cleaning tasks, including removing dirt, grease and organic residue.

For environmentally conscious customers, the proposition is particularly relevant. They can incorporate a lower-chemical cleaning option into their existing routines without making major lifestyle changes.

The startup’s model also gives waste a new economic value. Citrus peels that would otherwise be discarded become an input for another product. This approach supports a more circular use of household resources.

However, scaling such a business is not straightforward. Bioenzyme production depends on fermentation, which takes considerably longer than manufacturing conventional cleaning products.

Maintaining consistent quality and performance while increasing production can therefore be challenging.

Customer acceptance is another hurdle. Natural cleaners must compete with established products that consumers already know and trust.

Urthy consequently needs to demonstrate that sustainability does not mean compromising on cleaning effectiveness.

For Sonia and Farheen, the opportunity extends beyond selling cleaning products. They want to encourage households to reconsider what they throw away and what they use inside their homes.

Urthy’s journey illustrates how a discarded kitchen ingredient can become the foundation of a consumer startup.

By combining waste recovery with everyday utility, the company is attempting to make sustainable cleaning more accessible to Indian households.

Image Credit: Urthy Website Screenshot

Image Reference: https://urthy.in/