Afraid you're wasting time? Well here's how one guy (and a few more) turned waste into India's first biomaterial startup.
โ๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐คโ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ท2๐ถ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ , ๐ด๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ค ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ค๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ก ๐ค๐๐ฆ ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐โ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ .โ - ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ โ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ (๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐โ๐๐).
This is an intense tale about an incense sale, and like most, it starts with a simple conversation between Ankit Agarwal and a (Czech) friend of his.
Driven by environmental concerns and the impacts of dumping pesticide laden flowers into the sacred river Ganga, founder Ankit Agarwal and Prateek Kumar launched Phool.co in 2015. An added bonus was empowering local communities.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ?
โ Earlier devotees used to throw the flowers in the river, while the Phool.Co team would collect them and process them with the help of 140 women from local SHGs.
โ They are then hand-processed by women, and converted into unique and sustainable products.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ?
โCharcoal-free, organic incense sticks using "flowercycling" technology
โ Essential oils offering natural aromatherapy benefits
โ Organic Gulaal made from flower waste
โFestival Special Products such as Holi, Rakhi and Diwali hampers
๐๐๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐?
๐ญ๐๐๐. ๐ฐ๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐ฐ๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐โฆ
An idea that was first met with disbelief, Phool has successfully demonstrated โthe worldโs first profitable solutionโ to flower-cycling.
Now, Phool creates jobs for women from marginalized families, and helps make the world less polluted. Apurv Misal, Phoolโs Head of Marketing and Sales, talks about Phool being a Digital-first incense brand, breaking away from the traditional stereotypes of prayer-prone households being the only one to use incense.
So, Phool targeted the 25-40 year olds, looking to use organic elements while relaxing, doing yoga, or meditating.
It focused heavily on Instagram and social media, to harness the power of Word-of-Mouth like most D2C brands. Instead of focusing on only their products, they focus on creating value for their customers, showcasing various aspects of the Indian heritage. Phool sells primarily from its own Shopify hosted website and is currently expanding its online and offline distribution, learning from its online ventures, such as customers preferring bundles.
Oh, and did I mention Alia Bhatt being an active investor in Phool?
Still think e-commerce isnโt doable or scalable? Sometimes all it needs is a conversation, a purpose, and a push.