Symbiotic Foods’ Piggman cafes transform India’s pork industry

Piggman (formerly Slice of Gahori) has become a defining brand in a region that consumes nearly 70% of India’s pork. Founded by Manoj Kumar Basumatary, a former banker, the company now represents a modern ‘farm-to-fork’ ecosystem across the Northeast.

In 2014, Mr Basumatary and his friend Khanindra Kalita, a former engineer, started a piggery with just 25 sows and two boars. Two years later, they incorporated Symbiotic Foods in Assam’s Sonitpur district.

But why a piggery? Mr Kalita explained to Mr Basumatary the immense potential of the sector, with at least 70% of the region’s pork demand still met through imports. The vision was not only to address this unmet demand but also to build a formal brand-led retail business.

Scaling with science and support

Though sustenance-level pig farming is common in Assam and the Northeast, availability of quality piglets for commercial farming is still lacking.

Mr Basumatary studied advanced value chains in Europe, spending time in Belgium and visiting Dutch farms. But it was funding from Dutch impact investor Tuvalu that finally gave the piggery the scale it needed. The USD 65,000 investment arrived at a critical moment, when banks had declined to lend even USD 11,000.

Additional capital of around USD 380,000 came from the Northeast Venture Fund, set up by NEDFi and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.

According to Prasanta Kumar Talukdar, who heads the USD 11 million NEDFi Venture Capital, Symbiotic differentiates itself through an end-to-end, traceable value chain spanning farmer engagement, production support, processing, cold-chain logistics, and organized retail.

Science is central to the startup’s vision for the pork industry. R. Thomas, Principal Scientist at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research–National Research Centre on Pig (ICAR-NRCP), noted that Symbiotic’s quality-focused approach aligns closely with consumer expectations and regulatory standards.

By using global breeds like Large White Yorkshire and Landrace, and training farmers under its backward-integration model, Symbiotic ensures the quality and hygiene of its pigs. The training covers vaccination, feed management, and sourcing piglets from superior breeds for supply chain transparency.

“We extend technical support to Symbiotic. Such research-industry linkages are key to ensuring adoption of evidence-based practices from the early stages of growth,” said Mr Thomas.

Direct-to-consumer shift

The Covid-19 pandemic pushed Symbiotic toward a direct-to-consumer (D2C) path. Slice of Gahori, later rebranded as Piggman in 2024, introduced ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products. It set up a processing plant at a cost of around USD 544,000 with European equipment.

The startup now operates eight Piggman Cafes & Stores—six in Guwahati (Assam), one in Tezpur (Assam) and one in Dimapur (Nagaland). It aims to expand to 20 outlets by March 2026 and 100 stores by March 2027. It has plans to enter Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru too.

With an expected revenue of USD 816,000 in the current financial year 2025-26, Symbiotic represents the formalization of a traditionally informal livestock sector.

“We have around 40 people working with us directly and indirectly. Once the processing unit is fully up and running, we expect to employ at least 100,” said Chief Marketing Officer Mr Kalita.

Inclusive growth and global ambitions

Symbiotic has trained more than 3000 farmers through residential programs and around 5000 farmers under the Bodoland Pig Mission. By March 2027, it targets to work with over 1000 pork-producing farmers to improve breeding practices, productivity, and market access, aimed at enhancing farmer incomes and long-term livelihood security.

Symbiotic has grown to a 200-sow breeding farm, producing around 4500 piglets annually with a network of farmers who collectively raise around 10,000 pigs.

“We’ve formed farmer clusters and bank-linked them for easier credit access. We stand as assured buyers of their produce. This is how we’re building an ecosystem,” said Mr Basumatary.

Mr Talukdar said Symbiotic’s inclusive rural development through farmer integration closely aligns with NEDFi’s vision. “We don’t intend to compete with the small farmer and the local butcher. We aim to provide pork of international quality,” said Pranjal Deka, who joined Symbiotic as Chief Strategic Officer in May 2025.

Symbiotic also aims to position the region as an export hub, targeting markets in Bhutan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan. Today, it trains thousands of young people across the Northeast. With revenue goals of USD 11 million in in 4-5 years, it underscores how rural entrepreneurs are turning unconventional ideas into scalable, sustainable businesses.