How a scientist couple reinvented jaggery

No one gave jaggery much thought—until scientists Vishal and Madhavi Sardeshpande standardised it. In 2021, they opened their first plant ‘Sarvaay’ in Pune, turning a traditional sweetener into a consistent, modern product

Dr Vishal Sardeshpande from IIT Mumbai and his wife, Madhavi Sardeshpande, a scientist at NCL, were troubled by the inconsistencies in a product that has been a staple in Indian homes for generations. 

Dr Vishal Sardeshpande and his wife, Madhavi Sardeshpande. (HT)

Madhavi says, “Jaggery is something our grandparents trusted. But today, it depends on traditional processing methods that are inconsistent. Farmers struggle with unpredictable furnace performance, lack skilled labour, use excessive fuel, and often operate under poor hygiene conditions. This results in jaggery that varies in colour, texture, and sweetness from batch to batch.”

What concerned them most was that jaggery—a symbol of purity—was often made using chemical clarifying agents, smoke-contaminated fuel, and outdated processes. 

“Consumers were losing trust, and farmers were losing income. The problem wasn’t just ‘jaggery quality.’ It was the lack of a scientific, reliable, scalable system that could protect its authenticity while giving farmers and processors technology they could trust. That was the gap we set out to solve.”

Building a process

The couple aimed to design a process simple enough for rural women to operate, resulting in a standardised, chemical-free, and pure product, ‘Sarvaay’. 

Madhavi explains, “Instead of treating jaggery as a rustic, unchangeable product, we looked at it through the lens of science, engineering, and food technology. Vishal had already spent years studying furnace design, heat flow, fuel dynamics, and sugarcane juice behaviour.”

Their journey, however, was far from easy. “We broke the problem into micro-challenges: How do we control heat precisely without expensive equipment? How do we remove impurities naturally? How can we avoid caramelisation and non-enzymatic browning? How can women operate the plant safely and hygienically? Most importantly, how do we ensure reproducibility batch after batch?”

The solutions they developed were simple, elegant, and rooted in physics and food chemistry. They explored natural clarifying agents like okra sap and lime, redesigned furnace geometry for efficient combustion, and developed a controller to monitor and stabilise dozens of parameters in real time.

This was not a one-time exercise—it took over 1,000 trials, continuous fieldwork, and constant feedback from consumers and industry experts. Madhavi recalls, “Every failure pushed us toward a solution that was more refined, practical, and scalable. My husband and I spent years experimenting with furnace shapes, natural clarifiers, moisture behaviour, and sugarcane juice chemistry. Each trial taught us something new.”

From experimentation to technology

Their research began in 2010. By 2016, they built two pilot plants to test furnace design, conducting trials across seasons and varying cane quality. “Some days the batch burned, some days crystallisation failed—but each setback taught us something vital,” says Madhavi.

Eventually, they developed a resource-efficient, scientific jaggery processing system capable of producing chemically pure, micro-crystalline jaggery consistently. Vishal patented the Resource Efficient Jaggery Processing (REJP) technology in 2020 and successfully implemented it at a pilot scale. Madhavi’s role was to integrate these insights to create a state-of-the-art plant meeting consumer expectations, product consistency requirements, and food safety standards.

Why REJP will work

Madhavi explains the strengths of their technology: “First, we tested every idea in real production conditions, not just in a lab. Over 1,000 operational trials gave us clarity on what works, what fails, and why. Consistent results across seasons, cane varieties, and operators proved the system’s robustness.

“Second, the design is grounded in first principles—heat transfer, combustion efficiency, material behaviour, food chemistry, and process control. When a solution is rooted in science, reproducibility naturally follows. Third, our full-scale plant in Pune, under the branding ‘Sarvaay’, operational since 2021, consistently produces crystalline, chemical-free, free-flowing jaggery. Customer loyalty—with over 50% repeat purchases—validated the quality.

“Fourth, external experts from academia, industry, and farming communities have reviewed the technology positively. Finally, the system is simple, energy-efficient, and farmer-friendly. Our confidence comes from data, field success, user feedback, and scientific rigour—all pointing in the same direction.”

The Investment

Developing this technology required dedication, effort, and significant financial investment. Madhavi shares, “We are a small but committed team. Fabricators, furnace builders, mentors, and academicians all contributed. Financially, we invested ₹3 Crores of our own savings. We never sought external funding. This covered setting up the plant, running thousands of litres of sugarcane juice for trials, repairing and rebuilding parts that failed—it was risky but worth it. The emotional cost was probably even higher.”

Entering the Market

Madhavi is optimistic about market prospects: “Demand for natural, chemical-free sweeteners is growing rapidly in India. Consumers are moving away from refined sugar and artificial sweeteners, creating opportunities not just for pure jaggery but also for value-added FMCG products.”

Their strategy includes retail FMCG, general trade, modern trade, speciality health stores, and e-commerce platforms. They also plan product diversification—jaggery chocolates, tea/coffee premixes, turmeric blends, and cold-coffee sweeteners—to reach different age groups and consumption occasions.

Competition and USP

Their competition includes traditional jaggery makers, Indian FMCG brands selling premium jaggery, and international natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar. While competitors offer low cost, strong distribution, or global appeal, their products are often inconsistent, chemically processed, or expensive.

“Our USP is rooted in technology, not packaging. Our patented process delivers 100% chemical-free, micro-crystalline, free-flowing jaggery with controlled moisture, long shelf life, and reproducibility across seasons. This allows us to create diversified FMCG products that no competitor can match. We compete by out-innovating, not out-spending.”

Future plans

The couple aims to raise ₹5 Crores to expand production by setting up additional REJP plants, ensuring year-round supply, diversifying products, and reaching a national market. Madhavi adds, “We also want to scale our technology to benefit small-scale farmers and rural women entrepreneurs, creating economic and social impact alongside business growth. Our vision is to transform jaggery from a traditional commodity into a modern, scientifically produced FMCG product—loved, trusted, and accessible across India and eventually the world. When that happens, it will be India’s sweet gift to the world!”