Ridha Rashid said, In the summer of 2019, while the rest of the country carried on, Kashmir was forced into a pause. The abrogation of Article 370 had brought life — and the internet — to a grinding halt. For most, it was a time of confusion and disconnection. For me, it was also a time of decision.
Ridha says that, I had just completed my graduation and was preparing for the civil services exam. But with communication blacked out, I found myself stuck — unable to access study material, cut off from my routine, and losing time I couldn’t afford to waste.
That’s when my father and brother stepped in, urging me to take a leap of faith instead of waiting endlessly for normalcy to return. With their encouragement, I flew to Mumbai along with my mother and enrolled in a Master’s program in Analytical Chemistry at SNDT Women’s University. It wasn’t an easy choice — but it turned out to be the beginning of something much bigger.
When Curiosity Meets Culture:
Fast forward a year. The pandemic hit, and I found myself back in Kashmir. It was during this unexpected break that a friend made an offhand suggestion — “Why don’t you look into the herbs that grow around here?”
That idea, simple as it was, unlocked something deeper.
Since childhood, I’d heard whispered stories about herbs being smuggled from our forests. I’d seen plants considered worthless — often uprooted and discarded — that actually had incredible traditional value. I decided to dig deeper. What started as personal curiosity became a passion project. I built a database of local medicinal plants: names, locations, traditional uses, everything.
There was no business plan. No commercial intent. Just a need to reconnect with the soil I came from.
Turning Knowledge into Impact:
After completing my M.Sc., I took up a role as an Assistant Professor at the same university. Around that time, my brother Faruqh and I began talking seriously: could we take this knowledge and do something real with it?
He soon enrolled for an MBA in International Business at the University of Wollongong in Dubai. His goal was to understand markets, global trends, and business systems. Meanwhile, I took the academic route — beginning a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Mumbai, with a focus on the phytochemistry and pharmacological potential of Himalayan herbs.
Together, we were blending science with strategy — laying a foundation that was both credible and scalable.
The Birth of Hamdan Herbs:
After months of reaching out, trial batches, and rejections, we finally broke through. A leading Ayurvedic company signed a long-term procurement agreement with us. That moment marked the birth of Hamdan Mercantile, and with it, our flagship vertical: Hamdan Herbs.
From there, the momentum built fast.
We started attending trade shows, setting up supply chains, and connecting directly with nutraceutical companies across India. By 2024, our network reached over 2,000 households in Kashmir — many of whom had medicinal plants growing unknowingly in their backyards.
Where once these plants were uprooted as weeds, now they were a source of income, pride, and rural empowerment.
From Forgotten Fields to Green Futures:
Hamdan Herbs is more than a procurement company. It’s a rural movement.
We focus on commercial cultivation of lesser-known herbs, educating farmers, and creating sustainable value chains rooted in cultural knowledge. Every plant we source is part of a larger vision: a circular economy that regenerates, includes, and uplifts.
What started as a casual suggestion has become a model for green entrepreneurship — one that respects tradition, empowers small farmers, and brings Kashmir’s hidden herbal wealth into the national spotlight.
Powered by Family, Driven by Faith:
None of this would’ve been possible without the unshakable support of our family. Our father — always a steady presence — stood by us financially and emotionally. Our mother, through every trip and trial, has been our quiet strength.
This is not just a business story. It’s a story of resilience, of choosing the uncertain path, and of dreaming through disruption.
What’s Next?
We’re working on:
- Scaling cultivation through cooperative models
- Building processing units in Kashmir to add value at source
- Exporting niche herbs to global wellness markets
- Collaborating with research labs for product innovation
The future is rooted — and it’s growing.
Hamdan Herbs isn’t just a brand. It’s a mission: to rewrite the rural economy of Kashmir, one herb at a time.
Because in the silence of 2019, a seed was planted. And now, it’s blooming.
