Photography by Karen Harms.

Defying societal standards and expectations is just one part of Mitesh and Vicky Popat’s everyday life. As the founders of PlantOGram, this business-savvy couple’s journey to be one of the dynamic duos to watch for today. 

Vicky’s charming and bubbly personality shows through her warm, welcoming smile for everyone, and her razor-sharp wit is equally met with Mitesh’s savvy and intelligent mind. Between the two of them, they can hold court in any room.

But for the Popats, they have turned it into a seamless partnership and a lifelong friendship that transcends the lines. When they began PlantOGram, they, were like any other starting entrepreneur. We went door-to-door with our fruit trees around the neighbourhood.

Before its inception, PlantOGram stemmed from Mitesh and Vicky’s love, bringing them together to pursue the path of being entrepreneurs. Mitesh left his 9-5 corporate job and endeavored to bring to life the idea that him and his wife came up with.“ We wanted to give something unique for people to appreciate in their homes.That’s when we decided to come up with a gift that keeps giving.” 

Truthfully speaking, what else could be better than a fruit tree? PlantOGram’s unique business model ensures that the quality of their live and exotic fruit trees from around the world ld are all well taken care of from its time as a seedling in the ‘tree nursery’ and to your front door. 

Their vision for PlantOgram is to ensure that everyone should be growing at least one fruit tree so that each American ca level of sustainability for future generations. The topics on environmental issues and climate change are hot-button societal issues on a global scale. Vicky and Mitesh hope to educate the future generation about sustainability and the workings of Mother Nature. For them, it all starts at home. The couple are hands-on parents to their growing children, Sanum and Sohum. Both are homeschooled. At the same time, though, they are learning the business as they travel with their parents to their farms, where Vicky forgoes her Valentino heels for boots, straw hats, and overalls. “ Mitesh and I didn’t want to miss a single moment of our children’s lives and wanted to spend more time. This them, this is one of the main perks that we have in this business.” 

Over the years, the couple has managed to touch the hearts of many with their fruit trees. Vicky recalls one of their firsts, “ this client of ours from Virginia stood out,it was at the beginning of everything, and we mean down to the tee especially when it came to logistics. Back then, we weren’t shipping nationwide yet, and we had to figure out how to work things out. She was gracious to the point that she really wanted to help us succeed. I remember her telling us that she saw the potential we had. Since then, we still remember and are grateful for her.”

The couple are now at the helm of their careers as entrepreneurs in a flourishing environment where their employees and the trees are happily growing with each other. For Vicky and Mitesh’s journey, the only way for them is going forward as PlantOGram’s success in having a following of loyal customers from Hollywood celebrities to everyday families, proves that success truly comes from hard work, one step at a time.