From a ₹70 lakh setback to startup success: Farmer's daughter quits Reliance Retail to build a banana chips venture

A comfortable corporate job in Bengaluru, an MBA degree and a promising career path were all within reach for Khushboo Patil. But the 26-year-old chose a different route. Earlier this year, she left her job at Reliance Retail and returned to her village in Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur district to build a business around a crop she had grown up seeing in her family's fields—bananas.

Today, her banana chips venture is receiving orders from multiple states, creating local jobs and offering a model she hopes can help farmers earn more from their produce.

A childhood shaped by farming and chess

Born on February 5, 2000, in Borsar village of Burhanpur district, Khushboo comes from a farming family. Her father, Yuvraj Patil, is a farmer, and agriculture was a constant presence throughout her childhood.

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She studied at St Teresa Higher Secondary School in Burhanpur and was also an avid chess player. For nearly five years, she competed at district and divisional levels, consistently finishing among the top three before advancing to state-level tournaments.

Speaking to NDTV, Khushboo said chess helped her develop patience, discipline and strategic thinking—qualities that continue to guide her in business and life.

The storm that changed everything

Soon after she passed Class 12 in 2017-18, disaster struck the family. A severe storm destroyed their banana plantations, causing losses of nearly ₹70 lakh.

The family was already dealing with debt, and the financial setback made matters worse. As a result, Khushboo had to give up plans of studying at a larger institution and instead enrolled in a local college in Burhanpur while also taking up work alongside her studies.

The difficult period also took a toll on her father, whose mental stress increased significantly. Her mother, Anita Patil, became the pillar that held the family together.

The experience left a lasting impression on Khushboo and strengthened her resolve to find ways to improve farmers' earnings and reduce their vulnerability to market and weather-related shocks.

Learning the ropes of business

In 2018, she moved to Indore, where she completed a course in travel management and worked for six months. Alongside this, she completed her graduation from Seva Sadan College in Burhanpur.

Her entrepreneurial instincts emerged early. She started a small venture called "Khush Parlour Designing", which performed well. She later pursued an MBA from Universal Business School in Karjat.

During her MBA, she won gold medals in college Olympics competitions for two consecutive years.

After graduation, she joined Reliance Retail's headquarters in Bengaluru as an Assistant Manager in the Fashion & Lifestyle division, earning an annual salary of around ₹7 lakh. The role gave her hands-on exposure to business strategy, marketing, operations, sales, growth and retail systems.

Why she walked away from a corporate career

Despite professional success, Khushboo found herself constantly thinking about the challenges faced by farmers back home.

Over time, she realised that the issue was not a lack of agricultural production but the absence of value addition and branding at the farm level. She began exploring ways farmers could earn more from the crops they already grow instead of relying entirely on mandi prices and middlemen.

That idea eventually led her to leave her job and return to Burhanpur in January 2026.

Building a banana chips brand

Since Burhanpur is known for banana cultivation, banana chips manufacturing seemed like a natural choice.

With support from her family, she launched "Yuvraj and Anita Patil Enterprises", named after her parents, with an investment of ₹8-10 lakh. The venture uses bananas from her own orchard to manufacture chips.

The business currently employs 10 people and has gradually expanded beyond Burhanpur.

Reaching customers across states

Social media, especially Instagram, played a key role in helping the startup find customers. By sharing her entrepreneurial journey and showcasing her products online, Khushboo was able to build awareness and attract buyers.

The venture has already received orders from Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Gujarat, Pune, Indore and several other locations.

Her long-term goal is to create a model in which farmers can turn their own produce into value-added products and sell directly to consumers, generating additional income and creating employment opportunities in rural areas.

As the business grows, Khushboo hopes its impact will extend beyond her village and benefit farmers across the district.