How Two Brothers from Bihar Are Delivering Farm-Fresh Milk in 12 Hours
Brothers Mannu Jee and Aman Jee grew up in Rampur village in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district, watching their father grow crops and rear cattle. Dairy formed an important part of the family’s income, but the brothers also saw how difficult the business could be for farmers.
“We saw how much labour was put into the milk business. But the output was often very low, mostly because of poor mismanagement. The milk would often get curdled. We saw so many farmers, including our father, go through so many problems,” says Mannu.
That early exposure stayed with him. After joining the merchant navy and working with a Hong Kong-based shipping company, Mannu observed how meat, fish and fruit moved through international supply chains while staying fresh. The contrast with India’s traditional milk system was striking.
“I saw how large shipments are procured safely, handled, and then transported worldwide while keeping everything fresh and frozen. Learning from that, I started devising a plan on how to transport milk in India to customers safely without processing and adulterating the milk,” he says.
That idea became Milkvilla, a dairy-tech startup founded in 2021. The company now has a 100-member team operating out of Muzaffarpur and Bengaluru, its headquarters. The founding team includes CEO Mannu, CTO Aman, CFO and Chief Growth Officer Piyush Chachondhia, and co-founder Prashant Gyan.
The Problem with Conventional Milk Supply
In the traditional supply chain, milk can be seven to ten days old by the time it reaches consumers. It typically passes through processing, packaging and retail stages. Mannu refers to much of this as “engineered milk,” pointing to the additives often used to extend shelf life.
Milkvilla set out to offer a different path: fresh, minimally handled milk delivered quickly from farm to doorstep.
A 12-Hour Supply Chain
The company’s model is built around speed and temperature control. Its supply chain runs from the farm to cooling, then to a delivery hub, and finally to the customer—completing the journey in about 12 hours.
Milkvilla uses a specialised milk collection vehicle equipped with cooling and testing infrastructure. The vehicle reaches the farmer’s doorstep, where the milk is turbo-cooled to four degrees Celsius. This process extends shelf life to 24 hours without the addition of chemicals.
The cooled milk is then taken to a delivery hub for quality assessment. Once it clears the required tests, it is loaded into a refrigerated van for final delivery. The company currently runs two delivery batches a day, with each batch maintaining the 12-hour collection-to-delivery window.
Customers—more than 10,000 active users—can track orders through the Milkvilla app. The platform operates on a prepaid subscription model, allowing users to add any amount they choose.
Hyperlocal Sourcing and Farmer Partnerships
Milkvilla follows a hyperlocal procurement approach, sourcing milk close to the cities it serves. In Muzaffarpur, it works with farmers in neighbouring villages. In Bengaluru, milk comes from dairy farmers in Ramanagara district, about 50 km southwest of the city.
The company partners with around 350 dairy farmers and says 60–70% of revenue goes back to them. The milk it distributes is predominantly A2 milk, which contains beta-casein protein. Mannu notes that this form is generally considered more easily digestible and is associated with milk from desi cattle, in contrast to alpha-casein dominant milk from certain other breeds.
Expanding Beyond Liquid Milk
While fresh milk remains the core offering, the company has expanded into products such as paneer, ghee and peda. These items follow the same supply chain, which Milkvilla has recently patented. The ability to apply the same fast, controlled logistics to value-added products strengthens the model and increases revenue potential per farmer relationship.
Financials and Growth Plans
The brothers have invested Rs 1.5 crore of their own money into the business. Milkvilla has turned profitable over the past four months and currently generates monthly recurring revenue of Rs 1 crore.
The startup is now preparing to scale. Over the next six months, it plans to raise a seed round of Rs 15 crore. The capital will be used to expand to 10 delivery hubs across Bengaluru. At present, it operates one hub in Muzaffarpur and another on Sarjapur Road in Bengaluru.
Competition and Long-Term Vision
Milkvilla competes with dairy companies such as Akshayakalpa Organic and Sid’s Farm. Mannu believes the company’s patented supply chain provides a meaningful edge by prioritising speed, temperature control and minimal processing.
“We continue to innovate and improve our system. After our Bengaluru expansion is complete, we plan to do the same for all the Tier I cities and then expand further through a franchise system. In the next five years, we want to be known as a company that distributes fresh raw milk across the entire country,” says Mannu.
From watching milk curdle in their village to building a system that delivers farm-fresh milk in 12 hours, the brothers have turned a personal observation into a growing dairy-tech business. Their focus remains on shortening the distance between farmer and consumer—both in time and in trust.