These women led homegrown brands are small scale, conscious, clean and sustainable

Small scale, homegrown, sustainable - words that until sometime ago may have seemed like jargons have now become a part of everyday vocabulary and ethos adopted by a large section of the society. The terns have also become the guiding principles for many small brands that are doing their bit for the environment. By choosing products that are made by small enterprises with least impact on the planet we not only support the local economy but also protect the earth in our own small way.

We bring you three such brands that are small in scale but have been making a big impact on sustainability.

Käse

Käse started when two friends catching up for coffee realized they had a similar vision. Namrata Sundaresan, a trained cheese maker and consultant and Anuradha Krishnamoorthy, a social entrepreneur wanted to work with differently abled girls to help make them independent. The solution came in cheesemaking. Today Käse works with differently abled girls and makes artisanal cheese with milk produced from ethical dairy farmers with indigenous breeds within a radius of 100 kms from the production facility at Chennai.

The cheesemaking practices at Käse are based on traditional techniques learnt from different geographies and adapted to suit the local environment. The cheese is made with natural cultures and microbial or vegetarian rennet. What makes them unique is the combination of various traditional cheesemaking styles with different techniques. Käse has created a niche as a brand of cheese that is not just local and ethical but also free from any form of additives, preservatives, stabilizers and emulsifiers, many of which are found in processed cheese.

www.eatmorecheese.in

Himalayan Origins

A leap of faith, an act of rebellion, a labor of love, and homage to Mother Nature is how the founders of Himalayan Origins describe their brand. Himalayan Origins was born when environmentalist and wildlife photographer Neha Parmar and her digital marketing expert sister Somya Parmar realized that finding natural skin and hair care products was almost impossible in India. So, they decided to take matters in their hands.

Himalayan Origins is a skin and hair care range that is fully natural, plastic free and handcrafted. The range of shampoo bars, conditioner bars, hair oil, serum is made using purest ingredients sourced from the wilderness in lower Himalayas. With the founding principle of reducing toxic burden on the planet, the products are chemical free, use zero plastic (even in packaging) and made in small batches on a small scale. Being a woman led brand Himalayan Origins is also deeply focused on empowering local women, who make their primary workforce. So, every time you buy something from them you are also empowering women earn a dignified living.

www.himalayanoriginsindia.com

Native Tongue

Ruchira Sonalkar’s small batch, handmade, and artisanal brand Native Tongue was born out of her longing for familiar flavours and aromas of her childhood. A media professional until a few years ago, Ruchira’s move to entrepreneurship was completely coincidental but has since become her identity. Co founded with her partner, Rohan Sonalkar, Native Tongue, celebrates lesser-known Indian produce such as Byadgi chilli, Rajapuri kairis, Gondhoraj lebu, Kathiyawadi peanuts among others and brings them to the consumers in a modern and contemporary concept.

The raw materials for the spreads, butters, jams, chutneys are procured from small-scale farmers from across India and is of the highest quality. The products also change as per season and availability of the raw material. Traditional cooking practices such as stone grinding, sand-roasting and maceration meanwhile not only help preserve the nutrition and delicate flavors of the core ingredient but also keep alive the methods most of which face the threat of extinction.

www.nativetongue.in

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