Food for Thought: The Green Tiffin Company

TERI and Yale University | Acara Challenge 2010 | New Delhi, India

Naina Arora ║Paul Beaton ║Sandeep Goel║ Setu Goyal ║ Pulkit Khanna
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Harsh Poddar ║ Srinath Sabapathy ║ Jasmine Singh ║Kartikeya Singh

 Table of Contents
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 3
Product: The Green Tiffin ......................................................................................................................... 5
Marketing Strategy.................................................................................................................................... 6
Competition............................................................................................................................................... 7
Financials .................................................................................................................................................. 8
Operational Plan...................................................................................................................................... 11
Next Steps ............................................................................................................................................... 14
Appendix:.................................................................................................................................................... 15
TERI-Yale Team Bios ............................................................................................................................ 15
Preliminary Customer Service Responses .............................................................................................. 15
List of Major Equipment/Units in the Proposed Plant: ........................................................................... 15
Biogas Production ................................................................................................................................... 19
List of Gaushalas .................................................................................................................................... 20

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Introduction
Food for Thought: the Green Tiffin Company is the first of its kind "eco-tiffin" company. Food
for Thought produces food with a conscience. Food for Thought will sell tiffins, or boxed
lunches or meals, prepared on biogas powered cook stoves to staff of corporations, non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), and other individuals in the Delhi Metropolitan area. The
business aims to generate wide-scale interest in energy and the environment and provide high
quality, healthy, and satisfying meals. Food for Thought will be based in South Delhi. Operations
including cooking and biogas generation will be based close to Annanagar, an informal
settlement, in central Delhi. Annanagar residents will cook and distribute the eco-tiffins.
Food will be produced on a biogas powered cook stove. Biogas will run on dung feedstock
supplied from a local gaushala, or cow shelter. Food for Thought offers a range of vegetarian
menus including north Indian, south Indian, and an Indian-Chinese food. Customers can place
their menus by phone, internet, or SMS. Tiffins will come in a steel tiffin container. Tifins will
later be recollected by the delivery service.

Food for Thought will cater to residents and office goers in South Delhi. Our customer is a
young, environmentally and socially conscious, and well educated individual working at a
corporation or NGO. Customers also encompass families, students, and young couples who may
not always have time or energy to cook a meal at home. These customers value hygienic,
healthy, and tasty meals.

Site Location
The site will be located in South Delhi in proximity to a gaushala, or cow shelter, which will
supply the feedstock for the biogas plant. Workers will come from Annanagar, an informal
settlement in central Delhi with approximately 10,000 residents in 1,250 households. On
average, residents earn Rs. 5,000-6,000 per month, a relatively low income. Production and
distribution will occur in close proximity -- the community, residential and commercial
complexes, and the gaushala are all near each other.

Environmental Benefit
Most tiffin companies in Delhi prepare meals on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stoves leading to
greenhouse gas emissions. Biogas powered cook stoves are carbon neutral and produce no
additional greenhouse gas emissions; carbon dioxide savings also occur through utilizing cow
dung as a food source, which would naturally decompose. Food for Thought addresses waste
management issues through utilizing animal fecal waste from gaushalas. This waste is often
disposed of in an unsanitary manner leading to health problems from water contamination. In
addition, methane and nitrous oxide emissions result from improper treatment of animal waste.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), methane and nitrous
oxide are respectively 21 and 310 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of global
warming potential.

Social Impact
Food for Thought will create employment and livelihood opportunities for low income
community members from Annanagar, particularly women. Employees will have the opportunity
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to advance into skilled positions and will be provided training; these opportunities are often
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absent for people from informal colonies. Community involvement will also cemented through
providing employees an equity stake in Food for Thought. Employees would share in the
ownership of the company through an upfront contribution or sweat equity. We will develop
supplier contracts with farmers and gaushalas and thus will develop the livelihoods of others in
addition to our employees. Lastly, through creating demand for organic products and greener
practices, Food for Thought will develop environmental awareness among our customers,
employees, and the broader community in Delhi.

Consumers
Food for Thought will target busy professionals and students working in offices in South
Delhi, particularly the employees of large firms and NGOs through direct marketing tactics. This
demographic mostly consists of young individuals with more disposable income, less time for
cooking their own meals to eat, and environmental and social values. According to a preliminary
customer survey, it was found that customers value hygienic, healthy, and tasty meals. Many
would be willing to spend 10 rupees more to support an environmental cause, assuming that the
food is tasty and hygienic (see Appendix for results).

Customer Demographic Profile: Office Goers

The primary customer is an office goer looking for a satisfying, cheap, and hygienic lunch or
dinner.

 Age: 20 – 40
 Gender: Men and Women
 Locations: South Delhi
 Income Level: Rs. 250,000 (USD $5,000) per year, or approximately Rs. 20,000 (USD
$400) per month or more
 Occupations: Professional (NGO or Corporation), Students
 Education: Commensurate with professional employment

Targeted Clients
In addition to targeting people on an individual basis, we will also develop long-term contracts
with NGOs and corporations in Delhi to supply lunches to their workers. Through such
relationships, we will be able to deliver our tiffins on a company-wide basis. These clients may
include Indosolar (a solar cell producer), Honeywell, and DLF (real estate firm and the largest
owner of wind power plants in India). These companies as well as others would need to be
contacted to explore the possibility of a contract. We also plan to target small and large NGOs
based in South Delhi. These businesses would be interested in contracting with a green company
such as ours to add to their corporate social responsibility (CSR) profiles and would benefit from
our healthy, clean, and tasty meals and reliable delivery services.

Preliminary conversations with staff from Honeywell which utilize a tiffin company, found that
they pay approximately Rs. 300 per meal. Contracts with other corporations provide the
opportunity increase exposure on a large scale than with individual delivery and receive more
revenues per tiffin. Corporations interested in potential distribution of our tiffins can have a 1 or
2 week trial with assurances of a partial refund if unsatisfied.
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The Product: The Green Tiffin
Food for Thought Menus
Food for Thought will offer a vegetarian only tiffin menu with a variety of food options. A pure
vegetarian menu is environmentally preferable because it significantly reduces the water, energy,
land use change, and carbon footprint of the meals. Catering to various food tastes, we will offer
several menus including a traditional north Indian tiffin, south Indian tiffin, Chinese tiffin, and a
snack tiffin. We will also offer unique comfort foods tiffin. Selections will include the choice of
rajma and chawal (red beans and rice) or khichdi (rice, lentils, and curd). While customers
surveyed felt most tiffin companies lacked variety, further consumer research will be conducted
to assess the demand for more segmented and regional food tiffins such as a Kashmiri tiffin,
Guajarati tiffin, and other non-Indian food menus.

Table 1: Food for Thought Sample Menus

North Indian South Indian Chinese Tiffin Comfort Mid-day
Tiffin Tiffin Gobi Foods Tiffin Snack/Chaat
4 rotis Idli Manchurian (one of the Tiffin
1 vegetable Sambar Chowmein following) Chai
1 daal Chutney Noodles Rajma and Non-fried
Rice Chilli Paneer Chawal snack
Salad Rice Khichdi

Packaging
The branding of Food for Thought can be done in the following areas:

 Packaging: Initially packing will be in steel tiffins given their cleanliness and durability.
Container options which may be biodegradable or can be re-used such as bamboo will be
explored as well.
 Branded uniforms.
 Marketing design and logos which appear on tiffins, menus, and delivery vehicles.
The modern-appeal of our business as a green business can be highlighted as well. We will have
a well developed and user-friendly website. Orders can be taken by phone, internet, or by SMS.
Respondents to our survey said they would prefer internet ordering options. Our choice to supply
food produced on a biogas stove, use environmentally-friendly packaged tiffins, and offer a
vegetarian only menu will be marketed and educational information will be displayed on our
website.
We will also engage in outreach about our project and its efforts to provide employment to low-
income employees and their equity stake in the company. A donation of Rs. 1 per tiffin can be
put towards a specific project that the community decides upon like sanitation initiative or school
books. This can decided upon in consultation with the community.
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Competition
Our competitors are any providers of prepared foods; this includes food vendors, restaurants, and
street food carts. We compete with them by offering a more user friendly ordering system,
providing hygienic and healthy food, offering a variety of food choices, charging a reasonable
cost, and providing visibility benefits through associating with a green business.
A preliminary survey of tiffin companies in Delhi found the major problems to be employee
turnover, inconsistent food quality because of shifting suppliers, and dirty food containers
(particularly stains with plastic containers). Customers surveyed indicated dissatisfaction with
existing tiffin suppliers. One respondent said that the local tiffin service was “tasteless,
unhygienic, and unhealthy". Based on these preliminary responses, it can be inferred there is a
room for improvement in food quality and delivery.
Given the high internet penetration and usage among our target customer, an analysis
of major tiffin services in Delhi with an internet presence was completed (see table below). This
analysis demonstrates that there is little variety in menus, another concern highlighted by
respondents. One noted trend among these tiffin suppliers is the the switch from metal tiffins to
the use of plastic tiffins, which leads to significant waste and leads to the issue of stains
highlighted above. There is also an absence of environmentally conscious businesses operating
in this sector.

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Table 2: Tiffin Competitor Analysis
Food for Delicious Dabba Tasty Tiffins Ghar ka khana
Thought
Cost (Rs.) 50-60 40 (students, 40 30-65
veg);
45-65 (veg);
85 (non-veg)
Delivery Area South Delhi Noida, Nehru Dwarka Delhi/Gurgaon
Place, CP,
Mayur Vihar
Vasundhara
Menu See above 2-3 rotis, sabji, 4 rotis, rice, daal, 3-6 rotis, 1-2 veg,
chutney, and sabji, and salad; daal, salad, pickle
surprises (salad raita, kheer, or lassi
or sweets); gravy (Rs. 7-12 extra)
sabji in executive
tiffin
Variety Moderate Low Low Low
Ordering Method Phone, Online, Phone, Online SMS, Phone, Phone
SMS Online
Other Features Discount on every 10% student Payment by card, Diet option available
10th meal discount; menu check, or cash;
purchased not repeated for supplied in
30 days; many “hygienic
veg and non-veg Microwave
options compatible Poly
Propylene Trays”;
award prizes; must
order 1 day in
advance if by SMS
Marketing Slogan Food with a The best tiffin Future of meal Eat healthy, stay fit
conscience center tiffins is here
Market Segment Corporates, Corporates, Corporates, Corporates
Students, Families Students, Catering, Family
Catering

Marketing Strategy
Advertising to attract customers will be done through internet marketing (including Orkut,
Facebook, Twitter, key term search hits, and developing a user-friendly website) as well as
posting ads and flyers at coffee shops and buildings. Indirect marketing will occur through word
of mouth and newspaper reviews.
For environmentally minded customers, eco-tiffins will have at least two advantages over
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already established tiffins. First, many young professionals in urban areas in India have a well
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developed environmental ethic and look for “green” products whenever they can. Moreover, an
interest in buying green is often a very high priority for these customers, especially if it leads to
positive visibility. A 2008 consumer study of Indian consumer behavior and preference for green
restaurants found that Indians are willing to pay 10% more at restaurants for health or visibility
reasonsi. Thus, cost is not the only factor consumers consider. Given the desire for variety of
food options, more market research on demand for other cuisines will be conducted.
Sales outreach will be conducted to companies and NGOs to supply our tiffins on a company-
wide basis. The person making food purchasing decisions would be identified and targeted by a
salesperson from our team.

Financial Projections
Revenue
The biogas produced from the biogas plant will be used to cook on-site. This cooked food will be
distributed in tiffins, and the sale of these tiffins will be the primary revenue drivers. Other
sources of revenue will be sale of carbon credits through the Clean Development Mechanism
under the Kyoto Protocol, and sale of biogas plant waste as fertilizers to local farmers or the
Municipal Corporation of Delhi. An interview with an entrepreneur in the biogas business
indicated that the sale of the byproduct could be integral to the financial success of the plan.

Table 3: Tiffin Revenue Calculation

Description Estimate Remarks
Biogas consumption 84 m3
/household/month for a family
of 7
No of meals cooked 90 3 * 30 (assuming 3 meals per
/household/month day)
Biogas required per meal 0.93 m3 3
84 m /90meals
Plant capacity per month 15000 m3 500 m3 per day
Number of meals (tiffins) per 16000 (approx) 15000 m3/0.93 m3
month
Selling price of tiffin Rs. 50
Monthly Revenue from tiffin Rs. 800,000 Rs. 50 * 16000
sales

Table 4: Total Revenue Calculation

Annual Revenue from Tiffin Rs. 9,600,000 Rs. 800,000*12
Sales
Annual Revenue from Carbon Rs. 500,000 (3/4.5) * (500) * (10*65)
Credit Sales
Annual Revenue from Fertilizer Rs. 1,095,000 Rs. 3 * 1000kg * 365 days
Total Annual Revenue Rs. 10,700,000
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Costs
a) One time up-front capital expenditure:

The major portion of the initial expenditure will be used to purchase land and set up the biogas
plant equipment and infrastructure. A kitchen will also have to be set up on-site to prepare the
food that will be eventually distributed in tiffins.

Table 5: One Time Capital Expenses Calculation

Biogas Plant equipment and setup + land Rs. 3,000,000
Kitchen Rs. 500,000
Transportation (purchasing 3 auto rickshaws) Rs. 600,000
Total Up-Front Capital Expenditure Rs. 4,100,000

b) Recurring operational costs:

The major recurring costs will stem from maintenance of infrastructure, purchase of feedstock to
produce biogas, and employment of skilled and unskilled labor to operate the plant, prepare food,
make and distribute the tiffins. Another source of recurring expenditure would be cost of rations,
vegetables, oils and so on to be used in the kitchen for cooking.

Table 6: Labor
Biogas Plant
Skilled Labor 2
Unskilled Labor 2

Kitchen
Skilled Labor 3
Unskilled Labor 12

Tiffin Distribution
Skilled Labor 0
Unskilled Labor 20

Total
Skilled Labor 5
Unskilled Labor 34
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Table 7: Kitchen Supplies Expenditure
Description Estimate Remarks
Average Monthly Expenditure Rs. 1000/person Educated Assumption
on kitchen supplies in region
Number of meals per month 90 meals Assuming 3 meals/day
per person
Kitchen Supplies Expenditure ~Rs. 11/meal Rs. 1000/90 meals
Number of tiffins per month 16,000
Monthly Expenditure on Rs. 176,000 Rs. 11 x 16,000
Kitchen Supplies

Table 8: Feedstock Costs (Dung)

Dung required per day per m3 of biogas 25 kg
produced
Plant Capacity 500 m3
Total Daily Dung Requirement 12,500 kg
Total Monthly Dung Requirement 375,000 kg
Total Annual Dung Requirement 4,500,000 kg
Unit Dung Cost Rs. 0.25/kg

Table 9: Annual Operations Expenditure Calculation

Description Estimate Remarks
Annual Maintenance Costs Rs. 250,000 5% of capital cost
Annual Kitchen Supplies Rs. 2,112,000 Rs. 1,76,000 * 12 months
Costs
Annual Feedstock (Dung) Rs. 1,125,000 45,00,000 kg * Rs. 0.25/kg
Costs
Annual Skilled Labor Expense Rs. 600,000 5 * Rs. 10,000/month
Annual Unskilled Labor Rs. 2,040,000 34 * Rs. 5,000/month
Expense
Water Costs Rs. 365,000 Rs. 1,000/day x 365 days
Total Annual Operations Rs. 6,492,000
Expense

Profit
The above analysis of costs does not take into account overhead, selling, general, and
administrative costs. We have tried to take these additional costs into account in the profit
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calculations below.
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The overhead would cover the transportation expense of tiffin distribution, any losses resulting
from feedstock disruption, potential losses due to strikes, holidays etc. We are estimating these
costs to be about 10% of total operations expense.

The Selling, General and Administrative Expense would cover the expenses related to
supervisors and maintenance of a small on-site office. This would include all electricity expense
for managers and laborers within the plant premises, and other expenses related to
administration, and selling/marketing our services. 10% of total operations expense would be a
very conservative estimate for this.

Table 10: Annual EBITDA Calculation

Revenue Rs. 10,700,000
Operating Expenditure (-) Rs. 6,492,000
Gross Profit Rs. 4,208,000
Overhead (-) Rs 649,200 10% of Operating Expenditure
SG&A Expense (-) Rs. 649,200 10% of Operating Expenditure
EBITDA Rs. 2,909,600

Based on above calculations it would be reasonable to estimate approximately 2 years to break

even and recover the capital expenditure cost of approximately Rs. 6,000,000 after factoring in
taxes, interest, depreciation and amortization.

Financing
Communications from the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Government of India to the
public have indicated that a 50% subsidy is available from the Government for the demonstration
of medium-sized biogas plants generating energyii.

Other sources of financing could potentially be private sector investment and grants. The
remaining financing needs, if any, could be taken care of in the form of a bank loan. The usual
interest rate for such a loan in India is about 5%.

Operations
Based on our ground research so far, we have determined that a mesophilic anaerobic digestion
plant would be the most cost effective in this eco-tiffin model. We have identified a gaushala,
the Delhi Pinjara Pol Society Gau Sadan in Kishan Ganj in Delhi, which is located 10 km from
Annanagar to supply manure. There are 1,110 animals which generate about 2,200-2,500 kg of
dung per day. They sell this to Pusa Institute for conversion to manure at a price of Rs. 1000 per
600 kg. The gaushala bears the transportation cost. The manure generated as a by-product from
our biogas production process could still be sold to the Pusa Institute (see under suppliers), thus
solving our need to look for a buyer for the manure.

Equipment
The plant consists of a central circular reinforced concrete tank, either above or below ground,
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fitted with a secured inflatable cover and pipes for manure flow and heating coils. It will be
contract with an EPC company who will build the plant for about 3,000,000. The tank is
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designed in such a way that it can retain 15 to 20 days of cow dung feedstock with allowance for
expansion, water dilution, etc. The tank is equipped with temperature sensors and a submerged
heat exchanger. A mixing device is housed inside the digester to break up solids and floating
matter. Corrosion proof inlet pipes enter the tank below the permanent liquid level. The outlet is
equipped with an underflow wire (to maintain liquid level) and a gas seal (to prevent gas loss),
which further leads to a separation facility where the effluent can be dried to generate compost.
The generated methane can be stored in a spherical tank and supplied to consumers through a
metering device for consumption. Water can be purchased from the Delhi Jal Board, including
wastewater from water treatment plants.

Daily Technology Operations

The process begins with delivery of feedstock from the gaushala, filling the plant with substrate,
mixing with water, removing floating materials, and allowing it to warm up. Total solids in the
mixture shall remain between 3 and 10 % of the mixture. The operating temperature is
maintained between 34 and 40oC. The digester requires regular agitation followed by gas
pressure check and odor quality monitoring.
Location
Availability of land, elevation of land (for gravity flow of effluent), distance from nearest
dwellings, distance from manure supplier, etc. are all considerations for location of the plant and
kitchen. Ideally, the plant would be located on gaushala land or very close to it so the manure
spends very little time in transit. Normally dairy farm operators discharge manure by hosing
down with water. Locating the plant on the farmland will therefore reduce our water
consumption. There will be significant distance between the biogas digester and cooking
facilities to ensure no food contamination will occur. The biogas digester will be located at the
periphery of the land, and the cooking in the center.

Transportation
Distribution will occur by bicycle or motorbike for nearby locations. For longer distances and
bulk orders, delivery will be done through an auto rickshaw that runs on compressed natural gas.
The total volume capacity would 5.625 m3 which is capable of carrying 1,450 tiffins. Each auto
rickshaw would cost Rs. 2,000,000 to purchase. We anticipate purchasing 3, which is included in
the up-front costs.

Competition for Feedstock for Biogas

Cow dung is the feedstock for our biogas plant, thus we are dependent on a steady stream of
inputs from local sources. We will enter into contracts to get cow dung from gaushalas or milk
dairies housing cows in or around the city. Main source will be the gaushala next to the plant.
For additional capacity, we will contract to get that from other dairies and they will deliver. Cost
would be included in the total cost.

Food and Delivery

We would contract from local farmers to supply organic food. To ensure warm food, we will
consider purchasing heaters to place in autos.
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Recollection
Tiffins will be recollected in the evenings to reduce costs of disposal/replacement. To ensure
cleanliness, tiffins will first be cleaned with water, and then disinfected.

Physical Requirements
 500 m2 land area needed.
 Power and other utilities: A convenient location in south Delhi ensures availability of
power and utilities. In order to ensure constant electricity supply, a standard inverter
generator with a rated power of 5,000 VA would be sufficient to ensure continuous
power for lights, fans, food processing equipment etc.
 Business hours: The biogas plant essentially works round the clock. However, daily
operations can be covered between 7 am and 7 pm.

Legal Environment
 Licensing requirements: required to start a company. We may consider starting a
company under Section 25(A) of the Indian Companies Act of 1956 because of the eco-
social implications of our enterprise.
 Permits: Permits from the Pollution Control Department. The biogas plant will be
constructed in accordance with the Bureau of Industrial Standards. A Khadi and Village
Industries Commission plant with ferrocement digester and fiber glass reinforced plastic
gas holder can be made under the Code of Practices – IS – 12986:1990 of BISiii. This will
be our minimum standard when seeking manufacturers.
 Health, workplace, or environmental regulations will be adhered to and internal protocols
developed
 Insurance coverage
 Trademarks: Food for Thought: the Green Tiffin Company will carry a registered
trademark.

Personnel
 Number of employees – 2 skilled personnel for monitoring the plant and ensuring
feedstock and effluent flows. Apart from this, a number of women employed for cooking
in the kitchen.
 Employees are members from the Annanagar community.
 Training methods and requirements – There are numerous home based caterers that have
an intimate knowledge of customers’ needs and tastes. We plan to employ two or three
such women who can train members of the community on hygiene, food preparation,
food safety and protection.
 Contracts will only be given for the transport of raw material. All the remaining tasks
will be carried out by the people in the community.

Suppliers
A full list of suppliers for manure can be found in the Appendix. One of our key potential
suppliers is the Delhi Pinjara Pol Society Gau Sadan located approximately 10 kilometers from
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Annanagar housing 1,100 cows generating approximately 1200 cubic feet of biomass waste daily
per cow. This will yield a total of approximately 2500 kilograms of dung daily. Currently all the
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dung goes to the Pusa Institute to make manure at a price of Rs. 1000 per 300 cubic feet (with
the Gau Sadan paying for transportation of the waste).

Next Steps
The following topics would need to be explored during the incubation period this summer.

Packaging and Food: explore alternative environmentally friendly insulation options as well as
bamboo or similar packaging; develop contracts with farmers to produce organic foods.

Marketing: Developing appropriate outreach and advertising strategies to individuals and

corporations; test which are most appropriate and effective; further develop brand and
packaging.

Partnerships: explore contracting with an engineering firm to provide biogas to eliminate the
costs of biogas production.

Expansion: determine future growth opportunities such as expanding to malls, establishing a

restaurant or franchise chain, and consider additional regions to expand to.

Operations: develop and write operations plan related to transportation and plan to address
cleanliness and hygiene.

Siting: Examine alternate communities in closer proximity in South Delhi.

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Appendix:
TERI-Yale Team Bios

TERI University
Sandeep Goel, M. Tech Renewable Energy
Role: Project Feasibility (Resource Estimation + Technology Economics)
Sandeep worked as Patent Analyst earlier for one of India’s leading Portable Energy Storage
Solutions Company and has been instrumental in carrying out valuation of various portable
cleantech proposals till date. He is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering. His areas of interest
are waste management and clean energy.
Setu Goyal, M.Tech Renewable Energy
Role: Project Feasibility (Technical and Operations)
Setu is a graduate in Biotechnology and aspires to run a successful business enterprise, by
finding out sustainable and economic means to cater to the needs of lower income level group.
He also works part-time with the renewable energy advisory firm, BioEnergy Consult, in
promoting renewable energy and sustainable waste management in India.

Pulkit Khanna, MBA Business Sustainability

Role: Marketing, Business Strategy
Pulkit is a hospitality graduate from one of the premier institutes for hospitality management in
India. He has been involved with British Council & TERI with certain works relating to climate
change & has worked in a social enterprise for a year promoting environmentally friendly goods
& services. He sees himself as an entrepreneur in the future.

Jasmine Singh, MBA Infrastructure

Role: Finances
Jasmine has an honors degree in botany from the very prestigious Delhi University. She is wants
to work in the field of policy development for green infrastructure. She also has a keen interest
in studying the financing of rural infrastructure projects. She has worked on a couple of
environment related projects with different organizations.

Yale University
Naina Arora, Master of Environmental Management (MEM)
Role: Marketing, Strategy
Naina has a Bachelor’s in Community and Environmental Planning from the University of
Washington. Prior to Yale, Naina received a fellowship from the American India Foundation to
work on sustainable development issues in Delhi. Naina has work experience on clean energy
projects in the US and India.

Paul Beaton, Doctorate of Jurisprudence (JD)

Role: Market Analysis
Paul cofounded the first biodiesel production facility in the US state of North Carolina. Paul has
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extensive experience with national and international environmental law and policy in the US,
Costa Rica, Ecuador, and within the UN.
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Harsh Poddar, MBA
Role: Finance
Harsh is an MBA student from Calcutta, India at the Yale School of Management. He studied
economics and electrical and computer engineering at Duke University as an undergraduate, and
for the past few years has been an entrepreneur in the IT and Shipping industries.

Srinath Sabapathy, Master of Environmental Management (MEM)

Role: Technology, Operations
Srinath holds a Bachelors degree in Marine Engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
Prior to Yale, Srinath worked as a Merchant Marine Officer on board commercial ships handling
hazardous cargo. At Yale his interests are in management and financial aspects of renewable and
alternate energy projects.

Kartikeya Singh, Master of Environmental Science (M.E.Sc.)

Role: Strategy, Technology
Karitkeya’s Master thesis focuses on access to energy for rural communities in India through
decentralized renewable energy systems. He is author of The Rise of Asia: Feeling the Weight
of the East, which examines the geopolitical implications of the growing energy needs of India
and China. He is the co-founder of the Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN) and started the
blog, "What's with the Climate?"as a space for voices of the budding youth climate movement
from across South Asia.

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Preliminary Results of Customer Survey

Q1. Would you be interested in buying this tiffin, serving hygienic, home like food rather than
eating out at restaurants, dhabas of street hawkers.?

Q2. Would you mind if the food is cooked using biogas produced from cow dung, keeping in
mind that there is no change in quality and taste of the food?

Q.3 Would u mind paying 5-10 rs extra for a 50 rs tiffin, if the food is prepared from clean
energy and you contribute your bit to the environment?

S.no Name Company Q1 Q2 Q3

1 Shani Rajpal Ozone Engineering Yes No No
2 Bhavya Khullar Student - Yes No
3 Sunil Kumar reddy Student Yes No Yes
4 Ashu Verma Faculty @ TERI Yes No No
5 Asheesh Pal Styrka consultants Yes No No
6 Parimal Sadaphal Sustech International Yes No Yes
7 Deepa Maggo Student Yes No Yes
8 Datta Kiran Student Yes No Yes
9 Vineet Laroiya Professional Yes No NO
10 Sahil Mahajan Bechtel Yes No No
11 Charu Lata Bechtel Yes No Yes
12 Anushikha Bhan Bechtel Yes No Yes
13 Prakshay Puri Bechtel Yes No Yes
14 Meghna Baveja Infosys Yes No Yes

15 Sunil Mittal Raj Tradelink Yes No No

16 Ankur Dubey TCS Yes No Yes

17 Akash Srivastava Cognizant Technologies Yes No Yes

E 18 Vimal Kumar Northern Trust Yes No No

19 Eshaan Rajput Google Yes No No

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List of Major Equipment/Units in the Proposed Plant:

1. Weigh bridge
2. Collection tank
3. Sand clarifier
4. Screw pumps
5. Anaerobic digester
6. Gas holder
7. Gas flare
8. Dewatering station
9. Drying yard
10. Generator

Table 1: Important Features of the Proposed Plant

Capacity of the plant 12.5 tons per day

Type of waste Cow manure

Anaerobic Digester Continuously-mixed (55% efficiency)

Operating Temperature 34 and 40oC

Desulphurization Mechanism Biological

Gas Holder Polyester membrane

Dewatering Station Screw press

Digested Slurry Drying Solar

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Biogas Production
 Production techniques and costs – As described earlier, biogas is generated from a
mesophilic digestion of manure obtained from dairy farms. The process is highly
sensitive to temperature, contaminants in the manure, percentage solids (max 10%), pH,
and water content. There are four key stages in the biogas generation:

1. Hydrolysis: This is the process of breaking down large chain organic

compounds present in the feedstock to simpler smaller products such as sugars
and fatty acids.

2. Acidogenesis: Acidogenic bacteria react with the first stage products to form
volatile fatty acids, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, and carbon dioxide. This is
the curdling process.

3. Acetogenesis: As the name suggests, acetogens react with the second stage
products to generate acetic acid, carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

4. Methanosis: Methanogens, in this final stage, digest products from earlier

stages into methane, carbon dioxide and water. The reaction is acutely
affected by constraints mentioned earlier, and therefore parameters of the
reaction need close monitoring.

 Quality control – Since the biogas is directly used for cooking, it is essential to strip off
all hydrogen sulphide from the gas mixture. There are two ways to achieve this:

 Scrubber tower using amine treatment.

 Adding ferrous chloride to the manure during digestion to inhibit hydrogen

sulphide production.

 Feedstock control – In order to ensure continuous supply of feedstock, we need to enter

into a contractual agreement with Indian Dairy.

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List of Gaushalas
1. Acharya Sushil Gau Sadan
Village Ghumman Hera
Najafgarh Block, Delhi-110073
Tel: 9210334422
Acharya Sushil Muni Ashram
C-599, Defence Colony, New Delhi-110024
Tel: 24335560, 24335262
2. Sri Krishna Gaushala
C/O Surabhi Shodh Sansthan
Sultanpur Dabas, Kanjhawla Road,
Bawana, Delhi-110039
Tel: 9312963261, 9312963260
Shri. Chhagan Lal Gupt
Tel: 9311255576, 9811255576, 27672492

3. Manav Gau Sadan 4. Gopal Gau Sadan

Village Revala Khanpur, Village Harevali,
Near BSF camp, Chhawala, Delhi-110071 Bawana, Delhi-110039
Tel: 9313327983 Tel: 27755599
Shri Anil Kumar Jain, General Secretary Shri Rakesh Gupta, General Secretary
Mobile: 9810116012 Tel: 23552728

5. Dabar Hare Krishan Gaushala 6. Grameen Gaushala

Village Surhera, Bawana,
Delhi-110043 Delhi-110039
Tel: 25011582 Shri Kali Ram Saharawat, General Secretary
Shri Krishan Yadav, President Tel: 20065069
Tel. 9213959844

7. Delhi Pinjara Pol Society Gau Sadan,
9271, Kishanganj, Double Phatak,
Delhi-110006
Tel: 23614855, 23517565
Shri Prakash Chand Barathi, Secretary
Tel: 23934374
8. Shri Bhartiya Rishikul Gaushala
Harishankar Mandir, Village Bakoli
Delhi-110036
Tel: 27201784
Swami Onkaranand ji Giri
Shri Rattan Lal Gupta, Secretary
Tel: 23812493

9. Guruwar Vidya Sagar Jeev Raksha Kendra 10 A. Pinjara Pol Society (Regd) Gaushala
Village Kadipur, Behind Nagli Poona Near Delhi Gate, Najafgarh
Delhi-110036 Delh-110043
Tel: 9312212393 Tel: 25016364
Shri Nem Chand Jain, Secretary Shri Bal Kishan Dagar
Tel: 9811114631 Tel: 9213287947
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11 B. Pinjara Pol Society (Regd) Gaushala 12 C. Pinjara Pol Society (Regd) Gaushala
Maksudabad Colony, Najafgarh Near Dichaun Kalan, Najafgarh
Delh-110043 Delh-110043
Tel: 25016364 Tel: 25016364
Shri Bal Kishan Dagar Shri Bal Kishan Dagar
Tel: 9213287947 Tel: 9213287947

i
A Comparative Study of Consumers' Green Practice Orientation in India
and the United States: A Study from the Restaurant Industry
Kirti Dutta a; Venkatesh Umashankar a; Gunae Choi b;H. G. Parsa c
Journal of Foodservice Business Research, Volume 11, Issue 3 September
2008 , pages 269 - 285
ii
http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/bgfp.pdf
iii
http://mnre.gov.in/booklets/Book1-e.pdf

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