Ellementry allows local artisans to showcase their talent and flourish

We are providing full-time employment to more than 4,000 artisans. The beauty of their hands, combined with the knowledge passed down from the ages, makes our products soulful, says Ayush Baid, Founder, Ellementry.

Can you talk about the inception of Ellementry and its journey so far?
On analysing my family’s exports business while pursuing a data analytics program at UCL (University College of London), I saw an untapped opportunity for elevated kitchenware and dinnerware in the Indian market. The existing, largely unorganised market paid little attention to design and food safety leaving a gap that could be filled with branded, handcrafted products centred on sustainable design, product multi functionality and aesthetics. The availability of my family business’ extensive manufacturing facilities, my data analytical skills and knowledge of changing consumer spending trends online ensured the growth of Ellementry. Some of our USPs are competitive pricing, zero dead inventory, adherence to international food safety norms and faster lead times.

That is how I thought of Ellementry in 2018. Today with an e-commerce website, eight retail stores, various SIS locations and numerous boutique stores, we have many loving customers and 165,000 followers on Instagram.

Six brand pillars have played a vital role in making Ellementry reached so far.

• Fusion: Enhances beauty and utility for our users, our wood is ceramic plated, metal meets enamel and glass marries wood
• Handmade: Machines are not our artists; artisans are. We celebrate handmade
• Sustainable: Sustainability is in the DNA of Ellementry and our products reflect how they coexist with nature
• Food safety: Every fusion, patterns, design and material we use is food safe as per the international food safety
• Form and function: Even the universe shows that utility and beauty go hand in hand; we try to incorporate this universal charisma in our
• Cultural revival: We are reviving the dying art forms of India like papier mache, terracotta

In a short span of time, I am proud to say that Ellementry has created a space that allows local artisans to showcase their talent and flourish. Ellementry is providing full-time employment to more than 4,000 artisans. The beauty of their hands, combined with the knowledge passed down from the ages, makes our products soulful.

You have a vast product portfolio ranging from kitchenware to decor to furniture and lighting; how important is it to constantly innovate and come up with new ideas?
Change is constant and the times are changing and working from home has elevated the urge to have comfort and sensibility around. Ellementry brings beauty and art to these desires. The lockdown saw increased consumer focus on home and home-cooking along with increased online spending and we were uniquely positioned at the intersection of these elements. With focused product offerings, social outreach, and customer engagement, we constantly innovate and come up with more useful and beautiful products. For example- Foldable breakfast in bed table, zest wooden salad bowl set and more.

Not only can we provide an end to end solution to our consumers but we listen to them. This makes us the only Indian brand which shares a manufacturer to consumer relationship. We continuously encourage new talent under the tutelage of international designers and knowledge passed on through generations. This amalgamation ensures that we take the best of all worlds and make products that make your everyday beautiful.

In your own words, what is the USP of Ellementry vis a vis competitors?
We take food safety very seriously. With our process and extensive independent lab testing, we ensure that materials do not interact with food, and deliver the most delicious results for every dish. One basic principle of good design is form follows function. With our in house designing and our manufacturing capabilities, we follow the same principle religiously. Because of our experience and proximity to rich craftsmanship and abundance of talent, we provide a regular livelihood to more than 4,000 artisans (men and women) and showcase their creations on a modern platform and re-contextualising Indian craft for contemporary living.

Through our in-house manufacturing process, we can not only control the quality and standards of our products, but we directly pass on the cost benefits to our customers because of the huge barrier to entry from just the setup costs. We manufacture as per the market demands, launch new products regularly, and make sure our inventory float matches our sales, enabling us to be agile. We can go from concept to end product in a span of a fortnight.

Who are Ellementry’s marquee clientele and business plans going forward?
As we take pride in our handcrafted products, we are encouraged by the fact that most of our customers like to touch and feel our products. We take meticulous care of our retail shopping experience through our retail stores across India and numerous shops in shop outlets and boutique stores. We strive to provide a fully integrated shopping experience for our customers. This allows our consumers to interact with us through these channels. We also have tie- ups with numerous boutique stores in tier 2 and 3 cities. As we plan to increase our presence in domestic and overseas markets in the next five years, the future roadmap is well planned. We are entering the US markets through online presence on Amazon and tie-ups with boutique stores. We are also inking a strong presence in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Europe markets. Due to our clean and functional designs, we are also getting a lot of inquiries from the Scandinavian countries. Keeping all this in mind, we are also investing in expanding and training our team.

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