Catherine Lemus
Trent Aukerman
Sravani Naidu
Rahul Karthik
Western Michigan University
Timothy Palmer
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Matr Boomie has set out to create partnerships with Indian craftspeople and artisans to help them design, develop, and distribute their products for purchase by customers in the United States. The organization seeks to work with artisans who are women or belong to minority groups (such as people with special needs or those who work in urban slums) to help them gain more economic independence and confidence in their work. They also provide services such as schooling, skills development, and community health to all artisans to ensure that quality of life improves for both the artisans and their families.
Craftspeople and artisans are the backbones of the non-farming rural Indian economy, with an estimated 7 million artisans according to official figures engaged in craft production to earn a livelihood. However, according to the UN, over the past 30 years, the number of Indian artisans has decreased by 30%. While the artisans are capable and highly skilled, the lack of any exposure to information and technology, formal training, marketing, logistics, and financial support is deeply affecting them.
Matr Boomie has set up sustainable employment practices which empower artisans to compete in the free market. This has been achieved through the establishment of programs to educate artisans on fair trade and its benefits, as well as other areas such as product quality, skills development, schooling, and community health. At the same time, Matr Boomie's designers work closely with these artisans to ensure that the products they are making will be in demand in Western markets such as the United States.
These programs have been developed to elevate and polish the skills of Artisans to meet the requirements of the Western market, they also look to solve problems faced by artisans by sourcing quality raw materials, and handling all logistical, marketing, pricing, and other backend processes. Matr Boomie has set up health programs for its Artisans, along with social workshops on female hygiene and literacy. These have empowered the artisans to focus on their age-old traditions, art forms, and culture and ensured that they are remunerated in a fair and transparent manner.
It can be said that the inspiration for Matr Boomie was a marriage between financial and emotional opportunities available in the fair trade industry. Co-Founder, Manish Gupta, has always had an interest in pursuing entrepreneurial ideas. At the same time, his sister was already running a handmade paper workshop in India and he was helping them market their products while living in Austin, Texas. It was at that time that Manish came across the concept of fair-trade and saw that there was an increasing market for handmade products in the United States.
After taking time to travel throughout India, Manish was exposed to award-winning artisans who were unable to make a living due to the competing demand for cheap and mill-made products. It was at this time that he had the idea to found a company that could help give these artisan-made products exposure in Western markets but also could “create sustainability for a lot of communities in India.”
Part of that idea was to help not only support these artisans from a financial standpoint by helping them design and sell their fair-trade products but also to empower them to have increased quality of life by providing services such as free eye clinics and education.
The impact made by Matr Boomie has been both tangible and intangible but nonetheless has been life-changing for their artisans and community. Tangible impacts have included the increased quality of life and creation of jobs for artisans who were once struggling to turn a profit. As the artisans are females or from minority groups (such as people with special needs or those who work in urban slums), they are finding themselves in the uncharted territory of being able to support themselves financially and live a life with greater freedom from their family members.
The intangible impacts Matr Boomie has had on their artisans have been a differentiator for the business. The ability for these minority artisans to build their self-confidence, especially after facing periods of loss of profit and dwindling sales, has empowered them. Not only do they work to produce goods for Matr Boomie but now the artisans have the confidence to seek out other opportunities for marketing beyond the company.
As Manish pointed out, the confidence these artisans have gained has even shaped their physical well-being. “I’ve seen artisans look young after one or two years working with us because they have that passion again to do beautiful things with their art...to look forward to the future,” says Gupta. As artisans are able to build confidence and ownership of their art form, the rest of their lives begin to see the same positive impact.
The benefits from Matr Boomie’s initiatives stretch far beyond any balance sheet. One benefit that this company experiences in its Western market are the high desire for authentic handmade and sustainable goods. Manish mentions that this unique market is growing quite fast so there are more and more people are transitioning to buy products within this category. “The surface is just beginning to be scratched,” says Manish as he talked about the future growth for Matr Boomie.
The story behind products adds a crucial element that appeals to the target market. Manish calls the “trifecta for success” a healthy mix between a well-designed product, that has a moving story, that is also priced reasonably. The story behind what this company does has the perfect mix of inspiration and sustainability and is told in a way that connects the customer to the country of India and its local artisans. Because the products are produced with quality, and priced correctly, the story adds the third element which makes Matr Boomie stand out in a positive way, attracting more customers each year.
Matr Boomie is located in Austin but has a strong team in India. The way this team interacts with local artisans to hone in on quality for in-demand products is a business benefit as well. The resources that are given to the artisans courtesy of Matr Boomie ultimately increases the quality of their products. Although profits are only part of this company’s mission, being able to have such flexibility and responsiveness with your supply chain adds yet another element to the uniqueness of these products.
Matr Boomie goes above and beyond when it comes to benefiting the community. They offer competitive wages to struggling people allowing them to live a life they deserve. In return, the workers are able to craft top-quality products that are also environmentally friendly from natural and recycled materials. The community looks highly upon Matr Boomie for all that they have done including helping more than 1,500 artisans across the country. Using all-natural products that are compostable and natural. They have also provided solar panels within the artisan communities that allow the boiling of water and water filtration systems that help these communities to recycle water for more use.
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Manish Gupta, CEO, Co-Founder
