Indore: Deepak Dhanotiya grew up in a village where electricity was scarce. Due to lack of resources, his family irrigated the fields at night. To make ends meet, his father opened a grocery shop in the village. Deepak earned an Engineering degree with hopes of improving his family’s circumstances. He found himself a job at a reputed company and began his professional career.

During the time, he witnessed the emergence of e-commerce in India. In the year 2014, he launched the online platform called Shopkirana, which facilitates grocery deliveries. Presently, over one lakh shopkeepers across 300 cities are part of his company. 

Who is Deepak Dhanotiya?

Deepak Dhanotiya grew up in Semli Rupa village of Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh. At the time, electricity was a luxury and spending nights irrigating fields with his father was a routine. Despite all the financial struggles, Deepak performed well academically, completing his schooling from Navodaya Vidyalaya. He was one of the few students from village who went on to pursue higher studies. 

Deepak Dhanotiya’s education

Deepak’s school was situated 4 kilometres away from his house. Lacking basic facilities, he covered that distance on-foot. Villagers who bought food items from his father’s shop usually paid the money after the harvest. Completing his schooling in 2004, he visited his relatives in Indore, grappling with the dilemma of his future. At the time, he considered learning mobile repairing work. But ultimately, he secured admission in engineering in 2005. After graduating, he found a job with a salary of Rs 12,000. 

Launching Shopkirana

Deepak Dhanotiya had grown up witnessing the challenges his father faced as farmer and a shopkeeper. With the expansion of e-commerce in India, he wanted to devise a solution. Along with his friends, Sumit Ghorawat and Tejas, he launched the Shopkirana platform. In the early days, Deepak personally approached shopkeepers in Indore to get orders. Today, Shopkirana serves over 200 grocery products, including rice, pulses, and biscuits, catering to small shopkeepers in tier 2, 3, and 4 cities. 

Rs 1000 crore turnover

Shopkirana has extended its reach to over 300 cities across states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat. Back in 2014, the company’s turnover was Rs 1 crore which has now increased to Rs 1000 crore. There are more than a thousand employees working for the company. Additionally, the company has introduced its own brand ‘Kisan Kirana,’ directly procuring grains from farmers and allocating a portion of each sale as a contribution to the farmers.