Leaders
Women-owned businesses play an important role in society by creating job opportunities, influencing demographic shifts, and inspiring the next generation of female entrepreneurs. Despite all odds, some women have withstood all hindrances and dared to pursue their dreams. These women have proven their mettle as successful entrepreneurs through their sheer perseverance, courage, and talent.
Shippy Sharma is one such exemplary leader who has proven her mettle against all odds and has walked a path that not only inspires women entrepreneurs but also those who dare to rise up to setbacks and challenges. After having a successful corporate run and holding Key Management positions in well-known B2B brands, Shippy had to start from ground-zero post a tragic personal loss during Covid second wave which left her and her 2 kids without any means. It's only because of her unwavering grit, she has been able to establish an acclaimed food processing company that exports, supplies, and distributes products both domestically and internationally. Shippy describes Earthling as her life's work, and she aspires to make it the most well-known FMCG company in the B2B space.
Shippy Sharma engages in an exclusive interaction with Women Entrepreneur Magazine and enlightens us more about her professional journey and the unique traits of Earthling.
Tell us about your educational background and the prior industry experience that you bring to the table. What motivated you to establish Earthling?
I am an engineer, and I did my MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur, 2004-2006 batch. I was a campus recruit at ICICI Prudential in 2006 where I gained invaluable hands-on experience during my six-year tenure in a spectrum of roles from Marketing, Corporate Tie-ups, B2B sales, Salesforce Strategy, BPO, and IT integration. I have always been a part of startup teams and have been instrumental in developing new distribution channels as well as new business verticals. It was a very enlightening experience and I learned to build things from the ground up. Thereafter in 2012, I founded Earthling which is now an acclaimed food processing and supply company that exports, supplies, and distributes products both domestically and abroad.
“Our brands royal grove & wonderfills have helped the company scale new heights at an admirable rate”
Tell us about the underlying idea behind Earthling and its key areas of specialization. What are the quality assurance measures for the products that you go through?
Earthling specializes in distribution to many well-known hotels, restaurants, and food chains. While our forte lies in B2B sales and export, we are trying to carve out a consumer brand for specialty foods. Our present product portfolio is largely HoReCa driven which implies that all our products have to undergo approval from the Chefs of these commercial kitchens. Now, the chefs are very particular about the quality of the product and given that it's going to commercial kitchens, it has to be economically competitive. This implies that one of the important areas on which we must concentrate is sourcing. Our sourcing capabilities allow us to ensure the year-round availability of our products at stable pricing and across the country. We make certain that our Sourcing units are ISO 22000 certified, as well as FSSAI and FDA-approved.
Earthling distributes more than 100 products under its flagship brands ROYAL GROVE and WONDERFILLS. The products range from canned food to specialty sauces to bar syrups and premium kitchen ingredients. For many fruits and vegetables, we prefer backend integration and farm-level sourcing. We have our own company-defined quality standards and SOPs on which we educate the farmers. Additionally, our internal quality team makes sure that everything is packed in accordance with benchmarks that are set down by the company. We are a brand-focused company and so we ensure that our products are of the highest caliber and are fairly priced.
How has Earthling’s growth been since its inception in 2013?
Earthling commenced its journey in 2013 and has since grown to become a well-known operator in the F&B industry. In fact, we re-energized the company last year by launching two new company-owned brands - Royal Grove and Wonderfills which are doing tremendously well across geographies.
In your opinion what are some of the most critical challenges you encounter as a women leader?
Being a woman entrepreneur is a challenge in itself, especially in the male-dominated businesses prevalent in India. People initially do not take women entrepreneurs seriously until they have proven themselves. When I started Earthling, I had to struggle a lot to establish that this is a serious enterprise and not a part-time business started by a woman entrepreneur. We were able to do well and establish a prominent name for ourselves in the industry over time. We now have very old relationships that have been working with us for many years, and there are many more that we are acquiring day by day.
What is your vision for Earthling’s growth in the near future?
Going forward, my goal is to build a well-known FMCG company and be a leader in the areas where we are working. Earthling is my life's work, and we are driven to take it to new heights. With the brands we've launched and the tech backbone supporting them, we are aiming to build a sizable FMCG company with multiple product verticals.
Shippy Sharma, Founder, Earthling
Shippy Sharma is the Founder of Earthling, a marketing and export company in the FMCG sector. Shippy describes Earthling as her life's work and aspires to make it the most well-known FMCG company. Prior to Earthling, she has been blessed with opportunities to set up and establish new business avenues and channels during her six-year tenure at ICICI PRUDENTIAL.
