“Sooner or later, I got here again residence after yet one more job rejection,” Basavaraj S informed The Higher India, pausing earlier than including, “That’s when my father handed me Rs 1,000 and stated, ‘Don’t come again.’”
That second — painful, humiliating, and deeply private — grew to become a turning level in Basavaraj S’s life. With nothing greater than a shattered sense of value and Rs 1,000, he boarded a bus to Bengaluru.
He made two guarantees to himself as he left his village behind: he would by no means return till he had constructed one thing of his personal. And he would do it inside 10 years.
Door to door, rejection to recognition
Bengaluru wasn’t type at first. With no connections, no capital, and barely a plan, Basavaraj started knocking on doorways — fairly actually.
“Within the early levels, I used to go to particular person corporations and do a minimal of 20 to 25 chilly calls day by day,” he stated. “These days we’re speaking about chilly calls by way of telemarketing, however I’m speaking about particular person conferences, and knocking on the doorways of every firm.”
By relentless effort, he finally discovered his rhythm in gross sales and shortly earned recognition. “Whereas I used to be good at my gross sales job, I at all times felt like I used to be right here for one thing greater,” he added.
With Rs 55,000 saved by way of sheer dedication, Basavaraj launched Kambar Merchandise and Providers, an organization that equipped uniforms, security gear, and workplace merchandise.
Over the subsequent 18 years, he turned Kambar right into a multi-crore enterprise, however the starvation to do one thing with deeper goal by no means left.
A brand new goal born from a disaster
The pandemic made everybody pause. For Basavaraj, it grew to become a second of reckoning.
“After COVID-19, we had been on the lookout for distinctive concepts that resonated with the altering occasions. There was a rising consciousness about dwelling sustainably. I requested myself, how can I contribute in my very own method, by way of my enterprise?”
And that’s when the concept clicked: company gifting, however greener. What if each welcome equipment handed to new staff didn’t find yourself within the trash? What if it truly helped the planet?
Welcome kits that don’t find yourself in landfills
“Usually, a brand new joinee will get a bottle, a pen, a pocket book, and a mug,” Basavaraj explains.
“I believed, how can we exchange these with sustainable choices? How can we provide a greener selection?”
In 2022, he launched Rafter, a enterprise that creates lovely, sustainable gifting merchandise: bamboo bottles as a substitute of plastic, notebooks comprised of recycled or plantable paper, and mugs crafted from rice husk, an agricultural byproduct.
And individuals are noticing.
Sustainability with out the greenwashing
Rafter’s merchandise usually are not mass-produced in factories. As a substitute, Basavaraj companions with small, sustainability-focused producers throughout cities like Mysuru, Delhi, Gurugram, and Bengaluru.
“We work straight with makers who imagine on this eco-friendly strategy.”
He has no formal R&D group — he’s the R&D. “We shouldn’t have a proper analysis and growth division,” he says. “I brainstorm, search recommendation from specialists, and maintain experimenting to fine-tune our merchandise.”
Every merchandise — whether or not a plantable pen or a bamboo amplifier — is chosen with intention and designed to be reused, recycled, or cherished.
The rice husk mug that began conversations
“These mugs are comprised of rice husk, an agricultural byproduct, which is often discarded,” Basavaraj explains.
Sourced from Mysuru, the mugs are microwave-safe, sturdy, and accessible in seven to 9 earthy colors. They’ve grow to be a signature product — sturdy sufficient for five,000 washes and lasting as much as three years.
“Our cups can simply face up to round 5,000 washes and stay sturdy for a minimal of three years,” shares Shankara BG of Spectrus Sustainable Options, one in all Rafter’s long-time companions.
Convincing corporations that inexperienced will be premium
Nonetheless, constructing Rafter hasn’t been simple. Sustainable merchandise typically value extra, and don’t at all times appear “cool” to younger staff anticipating stylish devices.
“Whereas everybody talks about sustainability, individuals who act on it are fewer,” Basavaraj admits “It was very tough to start with.”
To bridge the hole, Rafter’s technique was training and presentation. The packaging is smooth and considerate, made from recycled paper with magnetic closures. “We would like the field to be one thing folks will maintain and reuse to retailer equipment, not simply throw away.”
Every hamper is custom-curated with branding, personalisation, and design that makes the recipient really feel like they’re receiving one thing premium, not a compromise.
The impression up to now
Rafter has now bought over 5,000 welcome kits and 1000’s extra particular person mugs, bottles, and notebooks. The corporate has clocked round Rs 1 crore in income, working with main purchasers like Infosys, Utilized Supplies, Lowe’s, TES India, CannaMental, and extra.
However for Basavaraj, it’s not nearly income — it’s about altering habits. “We create merchandise that keep away from going to landfills,” he says. “That’s the true impression.”
Rafter’s curated hampers even embody bamboo fibre T-shirts and Tirupur-made clothes from recycled PET bottles. The corporate is now exploring hemp materials and even bio-leather comprised of tomatoes.
An even bigger imaginative and prescient: extra than simply gifting
“We would like Rafter to be the primary identify that involves thoughts when folks consider sustainable gifting,” Basavaraj shares. “Finally, we need to construct it into a way of life model.”
For a person as soon as turned away from his own residence with Rs 1,000 and a damaged dream, Rafter isn’t only a firm. It’s a quiet revolution — proving which you can flip ache into goal, construct a enterprise that makes cash and that means, and provide the world a greater solution to give.
Discover Rafter’s sustainable gifting vary right here
Edited by Leila Badyari Castelino; All pictures courtesy Rafter
