There is little in common when a fashion designer, an engineer and a doctor specialising in Ayurvedic medicine meet. Or so it would seem.
But when Akash Chandra, an engineer, Vaibhav Anant, a graduate from National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), and Shikha Prakash, an Ayurveda doctor, met over lunch, their common objective for bringing about a positive change in society started to shape up.
It was just the germ of an idea that Akash and Vaibhav needed. The two have been childhood friends and grew up studying together at DAV School at Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. They were also running their separate small businesses but this sounded more exciting.
Some 12 months later, the Bengaluru-based start-up, Bambrew, lists Zomato, Olive Bar and Kitchen, Taj Chennai, Taj Bengaluru, Monkey Bar, Big Whiskey, Lalit Resorts and several others as its clients. A few distributors for their innovative product have been appointed, but since the production just cannot match the demand, more are in the pipeline.
“The demand for bamboo straws has been so good that we are running out of stock. The demand is now coming from different parts of the world,” Co-Founder Akash Chandra said on the phone.
Since sustainability is becoming an important business need, Akash and Vaibhav gauged the opportunity with food and beverage companies. Their hunch, supported by an entrepreneurial spirit, has proved to be correct, and the two childhood friends are looking to expand at a rapid pace. Their bamboo straws have now caught on and they will be making cups and cutlery made out of bamboo soon.
The company started with two founders. It added two more added when Ravi Kiran, an engineer from VIT University and an MBA from Great Lakes, Chennai joined them. Swapnil Abhishek, an MCA from BMSIT, Bangalore also joined as one of the founders. Their presence added to the professional capabilities of the fledgling company.
Bambrew was chosen as one of the winners among the hundreds of entries that were received at the Jagriti Yatra Sustainability Awards 2018.
COCA-COLA ON SOCIAL