From exporting certified organic produce to more than 25 countries to building one of India’s leading organic food brands with a presence across 11 international markets, Surya Shastry has spent over a decade connecting Indian agriculture with global consumers. As Managing Director of Phalada Organic Consumer Products Pvt. Ltd., he has combined international quality standards, farmer partnerships, and supply chain transparency to build Pure & Sure into a trusted organic brand. His journey reflects how an India-grown enterprise is competing in global markets while bringing international benchmarks in food safety, traceability, and sustainability back home.
Roots in agriculture, vision for global markets
Based in Bengaluru, Surya Shastry grew up in an entrepreneurial family that was deeply connected to agriculture and food. Watching his father build a business around organic farming gave him an early understanding of the relationship between farmers, food systems and consumers. “Those experiences shaped my curiosity about agriculture, sustainability and business from a young age,” he recollects in a chat with The Global Indian.
He completed his bachelor’s degree at Bangalore University and later pursued an executive education programme in International Business Management from IIM Ahmedabad. He also undertook executive programmes in food supply chain management and rural marketing.
“I also undertook executive programmes in food supply chain management and rural marketing, which helped me better understand both the business and grassroots dimensions of agriculture,” he says.
Learning the business from the ground up
His professional journey began in 2008 when he joined the family’s parent company, Phalada Agro Research Foundations, as a management trainee. Over the years, he worked across supply chain, product development, marketing, research and business strategy, gaining a hands-on understanding of the entire organic value chain.
Since our parent company had built its foundation as an export-focused organic business, I was exposed early to international markets, buyers and global quality requirements. This took me beyond India and gave me first-hand exposure to global standards in organic agriculture, food safety, traceability, sustainability and consumer expectations.
Surya Shastry
Building an organic brand for India
In 2011, he led the launch of Phalada Pure & Sure with a vision to make certified organic food accessible and trustworthy for Indian consumers. As the brand grew, he continued to engage with global markets through international trade fairs, customer visits, industry events and market immersion across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Today, the parent company has a presence in over 25 countries through its organic exports, while the Pure & Sure brand itself reaches consumers in 11 countries. These global engagements continue to provide valuable insights into emerging food trends, consumer behaviour, quality benchmarks and sustainability practices, helping the company build a stronger and more future-ready business in India and beyond.
Trust as the foundation of the business
Exposure to international markets shaped Shastry’s approach to building a consumer brand. “Whether you’re speaking to an organic retailer in Germany or a consumer in Bengaluru, the question is always the same: can I trust what’s on this label? That insight cut across cultures and geographies.”
He found that markets abroad had a far more evolved vocabulary around food, provenance, certification, traceability and farmer welfare. Bringing that rigour back home became one of the defining convictions of his entrepreneurial journey.
The world showed me the benchmark; India gave me the purpose.
Surya Shastry
Today, he serves as the Managing Director of Phalada Organic Consumer Products Pvt. Ltd., and one of the milestones he is most proud of is building Pure & Sure into one of India’s leading certified organic food brands at a time when the category itself was still emerging.
“Over the years, we have expanded our presence across India and 11 international markets while strengthening direct farmer partnerships, quality systems and consumer trust. We have invested heavily in certification, testing and traceability to ensure that consumers receive genuinely organic products.”
Another milestone has been extending the brand beyond packaged foods through the launch of Pure & Sure Café & Store, creating a farm-to-plate experience that allows consumers to engage more deeply with the food they eat. He has also served as an expert advisor to FSSAI, contributing to conversations around organic standards and food safety in India.
Growing the market while growing the business
The early years of building the brand were challenging. “We had to simultaneously educate and earn trust, which takes time and patience that the business pressures of a startup don’t always afford.”
The organic supply chain brought its own complexities, from supporting farmers transitioning to certified practices to managing premium costs while ensuring integrity across the value chain. “Every link in that chain had to be held to the same standard.”
What helped was staying close to the company’s purpose.”We weren’t building a brand for its own sake; we genuinely believed that clean food was better for people and for the planet. That clarity of purpose kept us grounded when the going was slow. I also learnt to treat setbacks as data, not as verdicts, but as information about what needed to change.”
Bringing global standards back home
Global exposure recalibrated his sense of what is possible. Seeing how countries such as Germany, Japan and the United States approach food quality and traceability strengthened his belief that India can lead in this space by drawing from its deep-rooted traditions of clean eating and agriculture.
I’ve learnt that the best decisions come from staying close to reality, spending time with farmers, consumers and the supply chain, not just in boardrooms. Today, success for me means helping more families eat without worry while strengthening trust across the food ecosystem.
Surya Shastry
For young entrepreneurs, his advice is to focus on solving meaningful problems rather than simply building products. “Start with a problem worth solving, not just a product you want to sell. Build credibility before chasing scale—especially in businesses where trust matters. Find mentors who will challenge your thinking, not just encourage you. And most importantly, build something you genuinely believe in. Success is important, but creating meaningful impact is what makes the journey worthwhile.”
Building a bridge between global markets and Indian agriculture
He believes international experience should create value at home. “In my own work, being a global Indian means taking the best of what international markets have taught me about standards, transparency and consumer trust and applying it here at home for Indian consumers and Indian farmers. The direction of that bridge matters as much as the bridge itself.”
We have an extraordinary inheritance in agriculture, in food culture, in philosophy and in entrepreneurship, and the most impactful Indians I’ve met abroad are those who draw on that heritage while remaining genuinely curious about the world.
Surya Shastry
What’s next
Outside work, Shastry enjoys travelling, reading about food systems and sustainability, and spending time on farms interacting directly with farmers.
“Giving back has always been an important part of our journey. Through our work with organic farming communities, we support sustainable agricultural practices, farmer livelihoods and long-term ecosystem health. I strongly believe businesses should create value not only for shareholders but for society at large.”
His long-term vision is to help more people eat without worry. “In a world where consumers are increasingly concerned about what goes into their food, I believe trust will become one of the most important ingredients on the plate.”
Through Pure & Sure, he wants to make organic food more accessible, transparent and trustworthy for families across India while strengthening farmer partnerships, advancing research-backed quality standards and building greater transparency across the food chain. Ultimately, his goal is not just to build a successful brand but to help create a future where safe, informed and worry-free food choices become the norm rather than the exception.
- Follow Surya Shastry on LinkedIn
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