Hyderabad: There are many stories of enterprising people kick-starting their ventures with little to no investment and then making it big through grit and work.
N Apoorva, an entrepreneur from the city, has a similar story. She started Nyara, a venture that sells eco-friendly jute products in 2017 with an investment of just Rs 5,000. The venture has grown steadily since then, also giving employment to women.
Apoorva after graduating in jewellery design worked in Delhi for a couple of years and then came back to Hyderabad, her hometown. “I couldn’t find the right kind of job. I wanted to start something unique and felt jute would be the way to go as we can do a lot of things beyond bags. Jute can also be incorporated into home decor and accessories, and because of its unique nature, I named it ‘Nyara’, which means unique in Hindi,” she says.
Starting off by buying a few metres of jute and a second-hand sewing machine for Rs 5,000, they started making bags for return-gifts.
“While we were doing this, people started asking for different products like pouches, handbags etc. We then decided to start designing and making them by ourselves,” shares Apoorva, adding, “Jute is tricky to work with, so when we started designing various products, we felt it is better to have in-house tailors who can customise them as the design requires. We now have three in-house tailors who make all of our products, from bags to pouches to cushion covers to purses and more.”
Their insistence on sustainability ensures that more than 90 per cent of the material they use is eco-friendly.
“There are instances where we use rexine or other materials inside our bags, but we ensure none of it harms the environment. We don’t use leather or plastic at all. Apart from this, we are very conscious about our waste and try to use as much of the leftover material as possible. For instance, we make little potlis with the leftover material,” shares Apoorva. Cutting machines too are not used so as to minimise wastage, she says adding, “All the work is done by hand to ensure less than 5 per cent wastage.”
Like most other small businesses, the pandemic has affected Nyara too.
“Return-gifts in weddings were our primary source of business, but with the pandemic putting a damper on big weddings, that has stopped. But we have moved ahead to making bags and other packing material for various other brands and are sustaining Nyara that way,” adds Apoorva.
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