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HomeStart UpKerala startup Graamyam empowers artisans with global reach for eco-friendly handicrafts

Kerala startup Graamyam empowers artisans with global reach for eco-friendly handicrafts

International buyers highly seek handmade products from Kerala artisans. However, many artisan communities struggle with visibility, lacking access to global platforms to showcase their work.

To address this challenge, Biju George—a mechanical engineer with over 20 years of experience in the IT industry—and Rakkee Thimothy—a researcher from Jawaharlal Nehru University—envisioned a business model that could expand the global reach of Indian craftsmanship.

Their vision took shape as they relocated to Kerala, which led to the founding of Graamyam. This social startup is now transforming the lives of artisan communities across the state.

“We wanted to make a change in the lives of rural craftspeople,” Rakkee said.

Highlighting the problems plaguing the sector, she says lack of revenue makes the younger generation ditch craft work. “Another major issue with traditional crafts is the absence of innovation in design and process. The laborious processes make the products costly and unaffordable to a large section of society,” she adds.

Further, the artisans cannot generate interest in modern society for traditional crafts. “The sector also suffers from poor awareness in society about the quality and value of traditional handicrafts. Over the years, we have lost many valuable crafts because of a lack of patronage. Even now, many crafts are going through an existential crisis,” Rakkee points out.

“Graamyam is an e-commerce platform that exclusively deals with handmade, eco-friendly, and sustainable products. At Graamyam, we partner with the communities to introduce new designs and markets, thereby providing the artisans with better prices for the products,” she says.

The platform works with more than 70 craftspersons in 15 communities across Kerala.

“We work with handloom weavers, potters, and ethnic communities crafting natural fibre and bamboo into home decor products,” she says.

Graamyam also has special initiatives for women to ensure they continue in the trade.

“For example, Killimanagalam mats are made by a group of women weavers. The unit was in a terrible condition. The first thing we did was to fund the maintenance of the building to ensure a safe working place for the women. We continued to use the same model for other communities, too,” Rakkee says.

Sudhakaran, the secretary of the Killimangalam Mat Weaving Society, reflects on the impact of this initiative on artisan communities through his words. “If Graamyam hadn’t reached out to us, closing the unit would have been the only option left before us,” he says.

The platform showcases over 150 products, including terracotta, bamboo, wood, natural fibre, handloom cotton, and metal crafts. “We are a very young startup founded in 2019. We help the artisans create innovative designs to appeal to the aesthetics of modern society,” Rakkee says.

They are currently working on setting up production lines and building connections with artisans across Kerala. “We will diversify to other southern states soon and then cover craft communities in other parts of the country,” she says.

Aiming to establish Graamyam as a global home décor brand, the founders are in discussions with major lifestyle chains in the US.

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BRL Editor
BRL Editorhttps://businessreviewlive.com
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