How Mittihub Is Reviving & Preserving The Dying Terracotta Craftsmanship In India

Back successful 2021, concern scholars Megha Joshi and Abhinav Agarwal could not person foreseen that their assemblage task would yet play a pivotal relation successful reviving and preserving the fading Indian terracotta industry. Years later, Joshi and Agarwal are present the cofounders of Mittihub. The startup specialises successful making and selling a assortment of terracotta products, including cookware, soap dispensers, decor, planters, tableware, exclusive decor items, and utensils, done its website.

In this process, the startup works with arsenic galore arsenic 50 artisans, who meticulously handcraft these items. These products are past sold anyplace from INR 400 to INR 25K oregon above, ensuring that the hands that crafted them get the maximum monetary benefit.

For the uninitiated, terracotta holds taste value successful India due to the fact that it has been the mean for creation since the Harappan civilization and has persisted for thousands of years. In this creation form, artisans typically usage rust-orange colour clay to make figurines, sculptures and different tangible items. 

Now, coming backmost to the protagonists of our story, the duo started studying this abstraction (majorly owed to their interest) for their assemblage project. As they were digging deeper to recognize the scope of their project, a realisation struck them that a dearth of request for terracotta products has the imaginable to marque this abstraction obsolete. 

The deeper they dug, the much they could subordinate to the origin of preserving this creation and the artisans who contiguous are nether the value of redeeming this dying trade signifier and earning a livelihood from the same.      

“These terracotta artisans successful agrarian India transportation treble value – arsenic the custodians of the creation signifier and creating a livelihood retired of it. Consumerism has shifted to machine-made mass-produced goods, leaving down uniquely crafted products,” Agarwal said. 

The cofounders told Inc42 that aft realising the concern of terracotta artisans, they knew what had to beryllium done next, resulting successful the incorporation of Mittihub.

According to the startup’s website, Mittihub is simply a ‘social venture’, which is trying to ‘bring successful a alteration successful the handicraft industry’ by ‘reviving the dying creation signifier of pottery’. 

Besides, the founders besides started a pottery workplace successful 2022. Initially, they dispersed consciousness among radical astir the efforts and clip invested successful crafting and creating each terracotta product. Soon, radical started to articulation their cause.

“And this was conscionable the start… Our workplace soon became a therapeutic abstraction for galore who would articulation to observe craftsmanship successful them, enactment connected the pottery instrumentality and prosecute successful originative tasks,” Agarwal said.

“Before we could realise, artisans associated with america were making 200% much than what they would mostly make,” added Agarwal .

The bootstrapped startup has served much than 2,800 customers since its inception and has a full of 70 SKUs crossed 5 merchandise categories. Besides, the startup has 15 B2B customers (resorts and designers) to whom it provides custom-made designs by leveraging the skills of its 50-artisan network. 

These B2B customers assistance successful Mittihub’s marque vulnerability to their customers, moreover helping successful gross generation. 

According to Agarwal , the cofounders were not unsocial successful their quest to prevention creation and its custodians. They received changeless support, mentorship and fiscal assistance nether the Rajasthan government’s iStart initiative. 

As a result, the startup was capable to make gross to the tune of INR 30 Lakh successful FY23. The laminitis duo is present aiming for a gross of INR 70 Lakh successful FY24, registering a maturation of 133% year-on-year (YoY). 

From A College Project To A Full-Fledged Business 

The founders of Mittihub embarked connected their entrepreneurial travel with a squad of 7 undergraduates, 5 artisans and an archetypal concern of INR 50K. However, arsenic soon arsenic they started, they discovered that determination wasn’t overmuch request for these products. 

To flooded this, the cofounders and their squad planned a run to person municipality customers to bargain terracotta products. As portion of this, they started educating their people assemblage astir the wellness benefits of utilizing terracotta utensils, to commencement with. 

Once they witnessed an uptick successful the demand, different cardinal contented was staring close astatine them. This situation was related to 20% of goods getting damaged successful transit, which was not lone adding outgo pressures but besides impacting their goodwill successful the market.

To resoluteness this, the Mittihub squad soon pivoted to sourcing sustainable packaging, which helped the startup bring its damages nether 1%.

 Agarwal told Inc42 that since they started successful 2021, Mittihub has strategically carved its marketplace niche done unsocial selling approaches. The duo conveys the artisans’ stories to emotionally link with users, complemented by show and influencer selling connected societal media. 

Further, arsenic acold arsenic the lawsuit retention strategy is concerned, they thrive connected sending personalised cards and showcasing the customer’s interaction connected the startup and the lives of the artisans. Besides, the Mittihub squad actively conducts ungraded investigating to validate the authenticity of the clay, which is utilized to marque cookware. 

Exploring The Craft Behind Mittihub 

Speaking with Inc42, Agarwal said that the Mittihub squad gets the interaction details of artisans from authorities sources. Following this, the squad ventures to their locations to place and gauge artisans’ skills. 

Artisans with basal required accomplishment sets are hired and Mittihub upskills them for 2 months, peculiarly successful cutting enactment and ‘Kagzi’ pottery (involving creating plan utilizing insubstantial chopped out), on with refining techniques. 

During these 2 months of training, artists larn everything from preparing the clay to furnishing the last product. 

 Agarwal said that Mittihub’s USP successful the terracotta trade marketplace lies successful its utility-oriented merchandise range. From cookware to serveware and location decor, the startup’s merchandise spectrum caters to divers needs. 

Additionally, its products scope from tiny pots to larger 40-inch varieties, offering a broad enactment to conscionable assorted preferences and purposes.

 Agarwal said that determination is minimal usage of exertion successful merchandise creation, however, tech plays an important relation successful helping it standard concern online and delivering the products close to customers.  Technology not lone streamlines the logistics of transportation but besides provides real-time tracking, ensuring customers tin show their orders astatine each post-purchase stage. This transparency contributes to a much reliable and customer-centric transportation system, yet enhancing the wide restitution of the buying experience, claims Agarwal.

While talking astir the B2B broadside of the business, the institution partners with interior designers and resorts to make customised products for them.  

Apart from selling its products connected its B2C website, Mittihub’s products tin beryllium recovered connected marketplaces similar Amazon and Jaipur Rugs. 

The startup earns 30% of its gross from websites and online marketplaces, portion 10% is generated from the pottery studio. B2B partnerships relationship for the remaining 60% of the gross including hotels, offline stores and lawsuit management. Most 70% of Mittihub’s gross is generated from Tier I markets, remaining 30% from Tier II and III regions.

Indian Handicrafts Get The Ecommerce Lifeline

Mittihub envisions respective expansions successful its future, with plans to widen enactment to artisans successful the confederate regions of the state wherever terracotta creation holds potential. Currently, the absorption is connected constricted earthy products successful these areas. 

To execute this vision, Mittihub plans to bid and collaborate with artisans successful these regions, enhancing their skills. Furthermore, the institution aims to broaden its planetary footprint and collaborate with divers stakeholders to boost gross and elevate marque designation internationally.

Agarwal believes that ecommerce has positively impacted the maturation of handicrafts successful India. “Ecommerce platforms similar Jaypore, Swadesh and Aadyam play a pivotal relation successful the maturation of handicraft items,” helium said. 

For the uninitiated, these ecommerce platforms supply a gateway for Indian crafts to scope a larger audience, offering consumers a assortment of accessible creation forms portion empowering artisans to proceed their trade from their villages.

Moving on, the government, too, recognises the imaginable of ecommerce successful facilitating the maturation of the fading Indian handicraft sector. 

In April 2023, the Ministry of Textiles launched an ecommerce portal to link implicit 35 Lakh handloom weavers and 27 Lakh handicraft artisans straight with buyers. The website allows consumers to acquisition assorted handicraft products specified arsenic clothing, location decor, and jewellery, showcasing India’s taste heritage.

Moreover, the level provides a pathway for 62 Lakh weavers and artisans to go integer entrepreneurs, offering maturation opportunities successful accepted crafts portion celebrating India’s affluent taste legacy.

In the discourse of terracotta, startups similar Clay Mango, Terracrafts, and Mitticool are leaving nary chromatic unturned to beforehand this craft. 

Notably, the handicraft marketplace was valued astatine astir $4 Bn successful 2022 and is projected to scope $6.2 Bn by 2028.

The station How Mittihub Is Reviving & Preserving The Dying Terracotta Craftsmanship In India appeared archetypal connected Inc42 Media.