Epigamia to provide access to food & water to migrant workers

FMCG company Epigamia today launched the second phase of the Step-Up Initiative to provide access to food and water to migrant workers and village communities impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This will be carried out in collaboration with Danone Manifesto Ventures, a corporate venture group located in New York City and Paris.

Epigamia stated in the official release that it has launched the Step-Up Program that is driven by a purpose to improve food & food systems within the country.

Epigamia has set up many initiatives under this program like providing food to migrant workers, improving access to water in villages around the country, it noted.

Danone Manifesto Ventures, one of the investors in Epigamia, will support the Step-Up program through its global Covid-19 Relief Fund in order to boost Epigamia’s community outreach programs.

Rohan Mirchandani, Co-Founder, and CEO, Epigamia, said in the official release: “The pandemic & subsequent impact on migrant workers in the cities got us going. We launched the Step-Up program in May 2020 and have donated and distributed over 7.5 lakh cups & bottles of yogurts.”

He added: “We have partnered with Danone Manifesto Ventures, who supported us for this initiative and provided some guidance on planning & execution. The Step-Up initiative is now a rallying cry in the organisation with active participation from employees and our supply chain partners. Over 215 members of Epigamia’s team also stepped-up and donated a portion of their salary towards the distribution of cups."

Other partners

The first phase of the Step-Up program ran between May-September 2020 through partners such as Robin Hood Army, Zomato Feeding India, Annapurna Movement, Rise Against Hunger, Akshaya Patra, and Goonj, among others.

For the second phase, Epigamia is focusing on supporting rural communities across the country. Epigamia has partnered with Habitat for Humanity India to help improve access to safe drinking water and help the communities through training and support for livelihood options including agricultural productivity.

Laurent Marcel, CEO of Danone Manifesto Ventures, said in a statement: “In 2020, we witnessed parts of the world suffer irrecoverable losses to their lives and livelihoods, and decided to support our portfolio companies’ initiatives to tackle unprecedented challenges through a dedicated Covid-19 Relief Fund.”

Danone Manifesto Ventures has also supported other projects led by Epigamia in the areas of People, Health, and Safety, and Food Supply Continuity.