How Smt. Aradhna Painuly Is Turning Himalayan Apples Into Economic Power for Women

With Mountain Love, Smt. Aradhna Painuly is proving that value addition—not migration—is the future of rural India.

In the hills of Uttarakhand, where apples ripen slowly and livelihoods are often fragile, Smt Aradhna Painuly saw both a problem and a possibility. For decades, small and marginal farmers—especially women—did the hardest work in apple cultivation yet earned the least from it. The value chain ended too early, profits leaked to intermediaries, and entire families were forced to leave the mountains in search of work.

In 2012, Painuly founded Himalayan Fresh Juice Private Limited, best known through its consumer brand Mountain Love, to change that equation.

From Raw Produce to Real Value

Mountain Love began with a simple but powerful idea: apples grown in the Himalayas should generate Himalayan-level value for the people who grow them. Instead of selling raw produce at volatile market prices, the company invested in fruit processing—launching 100% pure apple juice made from tree-ripe apples, vacuum-packed to preserve nutrients without preservatives, sugar, or additives.

Over time, the company expanded into higher-margin products such as apple cider vinegar and blended juices combining apple with nutrient-rich sea buckthorn—an indigenous Himalayan superfruit. This move into value-added processing not only improved profitability, but also stabilised farmer incomes across seasons.

A Women-Owned, Farmer-Led Model

What truly distinguishes Mountain Love is its ownership philosophy. The enterprise partners directly with marginal women farmers, removing middlemen and ploughing profits back into the ecosystem. Women—who traditionally contributed nearly nine months of labour in apple cultivation without economic recognition—are positioned as full stakeholders in the venture.

The processing model supports sorting, grading, cold storage, and first-press juicing using advanced European technology, while keeping production rooted in Uttarakhand. The result: better prices, better quality, and better bargaining power for farmers.

Building Rural Prosperity, Not Charity

Painuly’s approach rejects dependency on subsidies or short-term aid. Instead, Mountain Love operates as a professionally managed agribusiness with a long-term transition of economic ownership to farmer collectives—ensuring sustainability well beyond initial investment cycles.

This model has gained national attention and earned Smt. Aradhna Painuly the Great Companies Women Entrepreneur Award, recognising her role in building an ethical, scalable agribusiness rooted in inclusion.

A Quiet Revolution in the Hills

Mountain Love is not just about juice. It is about reversing distress migration, restoring dignity to farm work, and proving that rural women can lead profitable, modern enterprises without abandoning their land.

In every bottle, there is more than Himalayan flavour. There is proof that when women control value, entire communities rise.

Company Name: Himalayan Fresh Juice Private Limited

Consumer Brand: Mountain Love

Industry: Agribusiness · Food Processing · Natural Beverages

Founded: 2012

Team Size: 1–10 employees

Headquarters: Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

Website: www.mountainlove.in