Our Story
Three Friends. One Promise to Every Indian Kitchen.
We didn't build Sunpress Organics to sell oil. We built it because we couldn't find oil worth cooking our own family's food with.
Something Was Wrong
What Happened to the Oil Our Grandmothers Used?
Walk into any supermarket today. The oils on the shelf look golden and pure. But they've been heated above 200°C, treated with chemical solvents like hexane, then bleached and deodorized to look and smell "neutral."
By the time it reaches your pan, it's a chemically processed product — stripped of the Vitamin E, Omega-3, and natural antioxidants that made mustard oil a health staple for generations.
Families aren't choosing bad oil because they want to. They're choosing it because nobody told them what was being taken away.
Cold-Pressed Kachi Ghani
- Pressed below 49°C — nutrients fully intact
- No chemical solvents, ever
- Rich Omega-3, Vitamin E, antioxidants preserved
- Natural mild aroma — fuller when heated or on skin
- What your dadi always chose
Industrially Refined Oil
- ✗ Heated above 200°C — vitamins destroyed
- ✗ Hexane solvent extraction used
- ✗ Bleached and deodorized chemically
- ✗ Neutral taste = stripped of goodness
- ✗ Artificial preservatives added
How It Started
A Decision Made by a Lake in Mahoba
Kartikey Gupta, Shivam Yadav, and Mohd. Shagaf grew up in Mahoba — the same lanes, the same schools, the same dinner tables. Their grandmothers cooked with cold-pressed oil from the local press down the road. When it hit the pan, it was different. It tasted different. It felt different.
When they moved to cities for college and work, they kept trying to find that oil. They never could. What existed in stores was pale, odourless, processed — nothing like what they grew up with.
In 2019, sitting beside Kirat Sagar lake back home in Mahoba, they stopped looking and started building. If no one was making real oil anymore, they would. Right here. The way it had always been done.
"We're not disrupting an industry. We're reviving a tradition."
— Kartikey Gupta, Co-founder
Rooted in Bundelkhand
Why Mahoba Mustard is Different
Mahoba sits in Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh — a region with centuries of agricultural tradition. The black cotton soil and semi-arid climate here produce mustard seeds with a uniquely robust flavour and higher oil content than most other varieties in India.
By staying rooted in Mahoba, we do more than ensure quality. We pay farmers directly — no middlemen, no exploitation. We employ local press workers. We keep the entire supply chain in the hands of the community that gave this brand its soul.
100%
Mahoba-sourced seeds
Direct
Farmer partnerships
0
Middlemen in our chain
The People Behind Every Bottle
Meet the Founders
Kartikey Gupta
The Visionary
"If we can get even one family to cook with real oil again, we've done something meaningful."
Kartikey grew up watching his grandmother refuse anything other than kachi ghani oil. That stubbornness became his inspiration. He leads Sunpress with an unshakeable belief — that purity is never a compromise, it is the entire point.
Shivam Yadav
The Farmer's Friend
"The seed decides everything. Get that right, and the oil takes care of itself."
Shivam's family has farmed Mahoba's land for generations. He knows every farmer by name, every field by feel. His relationships ensure Sunpress always begins with the finest mustard seeds — harvested right, stored right, pressed right.
Mohd. Shagaf
The Quality Guardian
"The moment real cold-pressed oil hits a hot pan, you know. That aroma tells you everything."
Shagaf's nose is Sunpress's quality control. He oversees every press cycle and every batch seal. His uncompromising attention to colour, aroma, and texture means no bottle leaves Mahoba unless it meets the standard they set for their own families.
Non-Negotiable
What We Promise Every Family Who Trusts Us
We don't have a long list of certifications to show off. What we have is a short list of things we refuse to ever do — and that list has never changed.
- No chemical solvents — ever
- No bleaching or deodorizing
- No artificial preservatives
- Pressed below 49°C to protect nutrients
- Sourced directly from Mahoba farmers
- Food-grade PET bottle sealed for freshness
Authenticity
Traditional methods aren't just nostalgic — they are scientifically superior. We never cut corners.
Community
We source from local Mahoba farmers and employ local workers. We succeed only when they do.
Transparency
From farm to bottle, every step is open. You deserve to know exactly what your family is cooking with.
Quality
We refuse to compromise for cost, convenience, or speed. Every bottle is held to the same standard.
Sustainability
Traditional methods use less energy and support local agriculture — building supply chains that last.
For the Kitchen That Raised You
Remember the Smell of Maa's Kadhai Heating Up?
That particular sharp, warm, unmistakable fragrance of mustard oil hitting a hot pan — it didn't just mean food was being made. It meant someone who loved you was cooking for you.
Refined oil doesn't do that. It can't. That aroma — that sensation — is the natural glucosinolates and pungent compounds that industrial processing deliberately removes because modern consumers find it "too strong."
We think that experience is worth preserving. Your family deserves a kitchen that comes alive the right way every time you cook.
"We didn't change the oil. We just brought back the real one."