The new wave of ‘vocal for local’ proved to be a boost for Indian entrepreneurs. It has promoted local businesses during COVID-19 and given customers the ability and motivation to shop locally with ease. This rebranded version of ‘Made In India’ has our support, and every month, TC46 will spotlight small businesses and ventures you can champion and back easily through online and offline purchases.
Artists, entrepreneurs, visionaries and experts, Indian women are shattering glass ceilings and breaking out of the boxes. Success, tied with skills and hard work, is what makes those featured in our list today an inspiration for many. And the journeys of these women of incredible talent, are stories that must be told.
This week, here are some brands we’re cheering on; check them out!
Brand: Olive By Renuka
Founder Name: Renuka Varier
What They Offer: Bach flower therapy with hair and skin essences along with nutrition counselling for both physical and emotional health.
TC46 Loves: A graduate in Food Science and Nutrition, Renuka has always been passionate about health. She has been healing people with Bach Flower Therapy for almost 20 years, focusing on friends, family and colleagues. During the pandemic, with encouragement from loved ones, she started her venture. Having had a great experience with nutrition and Bach flower therapy, she decided to create a difference and heal more and more people with this combination. The brand took off in January 2021 using social media promotions on Instagram and Facebook. She offers customised plans for emotional healing, nutrition counselling for weight loss and weight gain. The goal is to address fear, panic, anxiety, frustration and trauma. Renuka believes that Bach Flower Therapy is for one and all and can be taken by newborn babies, senior citizens, and even by pets.
Price: The cost of the therapy is Rs 1,000 for a session which includes consultation and the remedies.
Availability: You can connect with the brand for consultation via Instagram and Facebook.
Brand: Sankalpana Creations
Founder Name: Prachi Patwardhan Joshi
What They Offer: Upcycled and handcrafted products like key holders, fridge magnets, paperweights, showpieces, wall hangings, decorated mirrors and more.
TC46 Loves: Prachi, a qualified engineer and an artist by passion, has been upcycling since 2014. The brand gives a special touch to creativity by upcycling and believes in three basic yet profound principles- re-think, re-design, re-purpose. ‘Sankalpana’ means ‘new concept’ and Prachi chose it because she is trying to implement her unique new concepts of turning trash into treasure. With its artistic efforts, the brand is trying its best to fill life into discarded things. The venture upcycles mostly the waste wood from furniture shops, waste wood steams, pistachio shells, coconut shells, plastic bottle caps and small plastic bottles too. It is helping others reduce ordinary dry waste with extraordinary creativity. Sankalpana Creations was incubated at IIM, Bangalore in Women Start-up Program 3.O in February 2021. With the help and support of her husband Vinay, Prachi is able to take the venture forward and offer customised home decor products and personalised artwork. The brand collects waste wood from furniture shops and other kinds of dry waste from local waste collectors, neighbours, friends, family members, and even customers. Then it is sanitised, the wood waste is cut into desired shapes and the other waste like plastic bottles and caps is reused. The brand then adds creativity and functionality to build their products.
Price: The average price range of the products range between Rs 500 to Rs 700.
Availability: Buy upcycled and handcrafted products from the brand at the Red Dot Shop here.
Brand: Art By Rachna
Founder Name: Rachna Takawale
What They Offer: Calligraphy and engraving services, wedding invitation, wall murals designs, live events, calligraphy workshops and more.
TC46 Loves: Rachna’s calligraphy journey began in 2016 as a creative outlet when she quit her advertising job of 6 years. With a deep need to feel and create something using her hands, the brand was launched. It started with creating pieces with calligraphy and watercolour and people loved it. Today, the brand’s focus is more on providing professional calligraphy services to luxury brands and individuals who want to add a personal touch to their gifts and homes. You can personalise your gifts and products through engraving, handwritten letters or cards and much more. Rachna loves being part of weddings by providing custom wedding invites, welcome signs, menus, place cards and more. Art by Rachana also offers online modern calligraphy workshops for beginners and are perfect for those wishing to learn a new skill or take up calligraphy professionally.
Price: The workshop costs start from Rs 2,999 onwards; calligraphy and engraving services start from Rs 1,000 onwards.
Availability: You can browse through the brand’s work and get in touch via Instagram or drop an email.
Brand: Flavours Of Malvan
Founder Name: Pallavi Amberkar
What They Offer: Authentic seafood like prawns curry, pomfret fry, chicken sukka, crab curry and more from the Malvan region of Maharashtra.
TC46 Loves: A passionate cook, Pallavi founded this food venture because of her love for seafood and meat. She started her journey as a host for Malvani cuisine with the Authenticook, a homemade chef food delivery service in Mumbai. On weekends, she hosted meals at home for a small group of guests. Gradually, she developed confidence and decided to start her own delivery brand, Flavours of Malvan in August 2019. The venture, as the name suggests, serves authentic Malvani seafood and meat delicacies. Pallavi takes orders throughout the week. On Sundays and select Wednesdays, she puts out a special menu on social media.
Price: The brand’s signature dishes cost as follows; prawns curry at Rs 325, pomfret fry at Rs 325, boneless chicken sukka at Rs 310 and crab curry at Rs 400.
Availability: Take a sneak peek at the menu and place your orders via the brand’s Instagram, Facebook handles and WhatsApp.
Want us to be VocalForLocal for your brand or know someone whose work you’d like to cheer on? Drop us an email to be featured on The Channel 46 at [email protected].