Rajani in Virajpete, India

Rajani is an entrepreneur in Virajpete, Karnataka. Initially Rajani’s husband was in control of the coffee plantation and she was not involved. When her husband fell ill, she took over the management and financing of the business.

Rajani joined CreditAccess Grameen 4 years ago. She had land but was unable to cultivate it due to a lack of financing. When Rajani became aware of CreditAccess Grameen’s credit offering she decided to avail of it and build her own business. She began growing pepper, sapota (chikoo) and sitaphala (custard apple) in addition to coffee, which was her primary product.

Rajani now trades in pepper and coffee, buying at wholesale rates and retailing them in the store which she opened. CreditAccess Grameen not only provided credit to enable Rajani’s business to grow, she also learned how to run a successful business. Rajani’s positive experiences encouraged her to introduce others to CreditAccess Grameen to expand their businesses. Rajani has plans to further expand her business portfolio by setting up a drip irrigation system, which will be rolled out on her land.