Bengaluru man turns down France job offers, earns Rs 4 lakh a month from mushroom farming

Whether to take a job or start one's own venture is a question that comes to everyone. Choose the right path and life can change. The story of Prithviraj of Bengaluru is one such. He got the chance to study abroad, earned a higher degree there and received big job offers. But he gave up those opportunities, returned home and showed the courage to build something of his own.

Prithviraj is originally from Bengaluru and was in Paris for his studies. Everyone dreams of a high-paying job and a luxurious home after studies, but Prithviraj had something else in mind. He received several big job offers in Paris but did not accept them. After completing his studies there, he returned to India.

He completed a master's degree in international business at the well-known SKEMA Business School in France. After the degree, he received offers of jobs with sizeable packages. Giving up such an opportunity and coming to India was not an easy decision, yet he resolved to start his own business. On returning to India, he converted his family's poultry shed into a mushroom farm. His business journey began from there.

He once ran his own poultry farm in his village in Devanahalli, Bengaluru. For some reasons and a bad patch, that business shut down in 2019. Prithviraj decided to revive it. After coming to India, he thought of mushroom farming. He kept the start very small. Rather than put in a large sum and make a big plan, he began with 10 bags. He chose oyster mushroom over button mushroom, because it is quite easy to produce and the process is also very simple.

In January 2025, he began with just 10 bags, using 2 kg of spawn costing Rs 180 and grain that he got free. It was an experiment. He distributed the mushrooms that grew among friends and relatives, took their opinions, noted the shortcomings and made changes accordingly. He began commercial production on March 6, 2025.

The work that began with 25 bags has now grown to a setup of 4,000 bags. It involves several stages. By paying attention at every stage and learning from his mistakes, he improved it. He now harvests 45 kg a day, which means 1,350 kg of mushrooms a month. He earns Rs 4 lakh every month. Demand for his produce has grown just as much. Large orders are coming in from the local market, supermarkets and quick-delivery companies such as Zepto.

Prithviraj did not stop at mushroom farming. He made good use of the residue left from the work and started vermicomposting with it. Not only that, he also began teaching this skill to others and started giving training. In this way, instead of getting caught in the trap of a fat salary in France, he returned to India and made a distinct identity for himself.