Neelam Chhiber
Founder Director
Industree Crafts Pvt. Ltd.

Neelam Chhiber, Industrial Designer, National Institute of Design, India, 1986. She is a founder director at Industree Crafts Pvt. Ltd. and the Managing Trustee of Industree Crafts Foundation, Bangalore India.

INDUSTREE is dedicated to providing rural livelihoods in India through the artisanal sector, producing contemporary products. It has a for profit design, distribution, retail and export model, while the production base is in the process of being converted to an MFI base. The MFI formation is being coordinated by the not for profit, Industree Crafts Foundation. MFI's globally, are currently highly localised, while markets are highly globalised. The current strategy being employed is the conversion of the for-profit, into becoming part producer owned, while the production base belongs proportionally, more to producers. This is the best self-empowerment tool, eventually ensuring they move up the value chain, towards higher wages, with the help of self governance on quality and productivity issues, extremely crucial in this sector.

Neelam has guided this hybrid social enterprise so far, to a turnover of a million dollars, membership in International Fair Trade, working with over 3000 rural producers, selling to over 50 stores in India and exporting to companies such as IKEA, Interface, Crate and Barrel. The non-profit works with the Indian government, and affiliated programs, towards the needs of small rural producers, and is currently also working on the formation a Global Natural Fiber Producers Federation.

www.industreecrafts.org
www.industreecrafts.com

neelam@industreecrafts.com
00919845016024
Tel.: +91 80 41308182
Fax: +91 80 41308184

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