At one point, Gurjeet Singh Hundal depended on a rented battery rickshaw to support his family, earning a modest income after working as a foreman in a small kirpan manufacturing unit. Today, he and his wife, Komalpreet Kaur, run a dairy business in Amritsar that reports monthly sales of more than Rs 6 lakh. Their journey began with a small herd, limited experience and a decision to build something of their own.According to a report by Agrimoon, the couple started their dairy venture around the Covid-19 pandemic, despite Komalpreet having no previous experience in rearing buffaloes, milking them or preparing dairy products. Their progress has been shaped by gradual expansion, hard work and a business model that takes their products straight to customers instead of relying entirely on middlemen.
From an unfamiliar trade to a growing dairy
Komalpreet, 34, and Gurjeet, 37, both studied up to Class 12. They belong to Mahima Pandori village, where they own a little over an acre of land, but currently live in Bhinder Colony in Guru Wali village, Amritsar, where they operate their dairy. The idea came shortly before the pandemic, when a relative who ran a large dairy encouraged them to begin on a smaller scale. The relative arranged around eight buffaloes, asking for an initial payment of just Rs 100 per animal and allowing the couple three months to pay the remaining amount of approximately Rs 70,000 per buffalo.Komalpreet says they managed to clear the balance within months, according to The Indian Express. As the business grew, they expanded the herd to 30 animals at one stage. Today, they have around 17 buffaloes and one cow, including Murrah and Neeli Ravi breeds. Their cattle are valued at around Rs 27 lakh, and the couple say they have no outstanding debt. For Komalpreet, the biggest change has been learning an entirely new skill from the ground up. She is now involved in several parts of the business, from milking the animals to preparing a range of products for sale.
More than milk: Turning raw produce into value
Rather than selling only fresh milk, the couple have built a varied product range to meet customer demand. Their offerings include paneer, curd, buttermilk, barfi, kheer, clarified butter or ghee, and milk badam, a milk-based drink sold in bottles. Gurjeet says the dairy produces around 1.5 quintals of milk daily. Because demand is high, they also obtain approximately one quintal of milk from a relative’s dairy to help keep up with orders.This approach allows the couple to serve customers looking for more than everyday milk. It also means Komalpreet’s work extends beyond caring for the animals to preparing products that require additional time and effort. The couple say they sell milk for Rs 80 per kg, paneer for Rs 480 per kg, curd for Rs 100 per kg, barfi for Rs 800 per kg, ghee for Rs 1,500 per kg and a 300-ml bottle of milk badam for Rs 50. They estimate their profit margin at around 50 per cent. Komalpreet says customers can check the quality of their products themselves. For the couple, building confidence in what they sell has been central to developing a regular customer base.
A roadside stall becomes their biggest connection with customers
Instead of depending solely on dairy companies or intermediaries, Gurjeet and Komalpreet sell directly outside Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh Shaheed in Amritsar. They set up their stall twice a day, from 7.30 am to 9.30 am and again from 7 pm to 9 pm. The routine involves long hours, but direct selling gives them an opportunity to interact with buyers and understand what people want. Their growing demand for ghee, Komalpreet says, is now greater than what they can supply. The couple have also begun taking steps to expand their retail presence. Komalpreet has rented a shop in front of the gurdwara and plans to start selling their dairy products there soon.
Reinvesting success in the family
The growth has also changed Gurjeet’s ability to support his family. He says he now earns around three times what he used to make earlier. With the money generated through the business, he purchased four battery rickshaws, keeping one for himself and giving one each to his father, uncle and brother-in-law to support their livelihoods. The couple describe the shift from a monthly income of Rs 15,000 to dairy sales exceeding Rs 6 lakh as something they had never imagined at the beginning.Their story is not simply about increasing the number of animals. It shows how a small venture can develop through learning, reinvestment, product variety and a direct relationship with customers. From a rented vehicle to a dairy enterprise with its own growing customer base, the couple have built their livelihood one step at a time.