Business Design: A Social Enterprise in Swamika
My Final Year Diploma Project was to design a business model for a for- profit social enterprise of women in Swamika, Haryana that will creatively manufacture eco-chic contemporary products using their traditional skills.
Client: Sankul Foundation, a Delhi based NGO dedicated to the comprehensive eradication of poverty by mobilizing women in rural India.
Lab: IMPACT EDGE, under guidance of Mr.Jacob Mathew and Ritu Sonalika. I teamed with Sushmita Charlu to work on this project.
Client: Sankul Foundation, a Delhi based NGO dedicated to the comprehensive eradication of poverty by mobilizing women in rural India.
Lab: IMPACT EDGE, under guidance of Mr.Jacob Mathew and Ritu Sonalika. I teamed with Sushmita Charlu to work on this project.
The Producer Community
Swamika is one of the 80 villages under Hathin Block, Haryana. The villages are victim to poverty and are abysmal in terms of opportunities, infrastructure and lack basic rights such as electricity and clean water.
The women come from a tradition of home made crafts as coiled basketry, durry weaving. There is an opportunity to have them make natural fiber products for urban India and export market.The process of making a basket involves wrapping of flattened stem of Moonj grass around a bunch of Kaans or Daab grass to create a coil. It is a labor intensive process.
The women come from a tradition of home made crafts as coiled basketry, durry weaving. There is an opportunity to have them make natural fiber products for urban India and export market.The process of making a basket involves wrapping of flattened stem of Moonj grass around a bunch of Kaans or Daab grass to create a coil. It is a labor intensive process.
I believe that for sustainable development of a village, providing livelihood opportunities will ultimately bring beneficial social, environmental and economic change. The women of Swamika will be empowered to take ownership of their work and this producer company, that will give them sustainable source of income and dignified livelihood so that they can control their future.
I visited Hathin Block to research about target community, their lifestyle, skill set of women, their aspirations, traditions and culture. I interviewed women in SHGs to know their pain points, aspirations, 'a Day in a Life'. I got to be a 'fly on the wall' to observe their activities, behavior and attitude.
I visited Hathin Block to research about target community, their lifestyle, skill set of women, their aspirations, traditions and culture. I interviewed women in SHGs to know their pain points, aspirations, 'a Day in a Life'. I got to be a 'fly on the wall' to observe their activities, behavior and attitude.
The Stakeholder Map
Business Model Canvas
Based on the insights during field visit, interviews with end users and market research, a dynamic business model canvas was prepared that explained how this enterprise will create, deliver and capture value.
Material Exploration
Dyeing:
Grass dyed with food colors making products child-safe and suitable for keeping eatables. |
Rope Making:
Twisting thin stems of Moonj and Kaans grass, resulted in improved strength and reduced processing time. |
Form:
giving contemporary context to the use of grass and coiling technique, designed fashion accessories by scaling down the usual sturdy form. |
Products:
We came up with various products in various categories like dining, home decor, storage, accessories etc. those can be made with grass using coiling technique. By comparing with similar products existing in market these products were priced.
We came up with various products in various categories like dining, home decor, storage, accessories etc. those can be made with grass using coiling technique. By comparing with similar products existing in market these products were priced.
Prototyping in Swamika
This exciting phase involved Co creating Prototypes with crafts women. I got to observe and experience difficult and time consuming activities in the job.
It was a challenging task for women to try any forms other than basket for the first time. I understood the unfolding of the Idea Diffusion Curve. We identified innovators who took up the challenge and motivated other to take up the tasks. Some women also used their creativity to add value.
It was a challenging task for women to try any forms other than basket for the first time. I understood the unfolding of the Idea Diffusion Curve. We identified innovators who took up the challenge and motivated other to take up the tasks. Some women also used their creativity to add value.
Fashion Accessories
Demonstrating Moonj Grass as a delightful choice for the urban women
Earrings |
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Lariats, Necklaces, Belts, Juda Pins
Flaunt textures and Patterns
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Operations and Costing
Since the grass need to be soaked in water before its use, these natural fibers can not be processed during winters. But for allowing regular income for women, we made Material Availability Calender based on seasons, wherein during winters they will be working with cotton ropes or rags etc.
Also, Implementation Strategy in phases was figured out, according to which women will be trained in specific skills to make specific products in that phase. For women to have better productivity in work, I developed Panchasutra for Manufaturing which are: Time management, Careful Craftsmanship, safety,Ownership, Multiple skill set.
Similar to the working of Assembly line, I broke down the work into small elements and assigned different crafts person to each element to reduce the bottleneck time. This helped in reducing manufacturing cost.
Also, Implementation Strategy in phases was figured out, according to which women will be trained in specific skills to make specific products in that phase. For women to have better productivity in work, I developed Panchasutra for Manufaturing which are: Time management, Careful Craftsmanship, safety,Ownership, Multiple skill set.
Similar to the working of Assembly line, I broke down the work into small elements and assigned different crafts person to each element to reduce the bottleneck time. This helped in reducing manufacturing cost.
Branding and Packaging
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Core Brand Values: Uniqueness, Attention to details, Re-contextualizing crafts, Celebrating every season
Brand Essence: " Celebrating Lifestyle with Crafts" Brand Name: "Sasyah" which in Hindi means harvest festival. Enterprise Name: "Tarita Crafts" which means a Leader in Sanskrit. Packaging: compact, cost effective, protection, adds value Material: Bio degradable transparent PLA (polylactic acid) and paper that can be created using Kaans, keeping in mind aesthetics, eco- friendly trend. |
Future Scope in Products
I wove ropes and twisted stem of Moonj and Kaans grass on handloom integrating cotton, jute ropes. This opened up a new range of products with flat surfaces. Also, the frame which is used by women in villages for making durries can also be used for weaving these.
Thank you.