An all-women company selling mulberry products globally

After starting her venture of producing silk with other women, with minimum resources, Nutan Devi, a resident of Bihar, is now part of a 10-member board of directors of their company Kaushiki Mahila Mulberry Silk Producer Company, which is all women.
In 2017, Devi says they (Jeevika Didis of Purnia, as they are famously known) started trading products made from mulberry. They formed a company for trading of mulberry silk sarees, clothes, shawls and other handicrafts. Now they have started to sell the products of Purnia’s Kaushiki Mulberry brand in the country and abroad through Kaushiki Mahila Mulberry Silk Producer Company.
This is the first company of mulberry silk in the state, in which Jeevika Didi will be the owner. From product manufacturing to its marketing-branding, all is being done by women only. Not only Purnia, but more than 7,000 families of all the seven districts of Kosi-Seemanchal, Purnia, Katihar, Kishanganj, Araria, Saharsa, Madhepura and Supaul are connected with this company. Jeevika Didis will also do all kinds of work for the company and will also be a shareholder.
Apart from this, 1,000 common shareholders have also been created in the company. In this, 500 members are from Purnia and 500 members are from other districts. Devi said, “We have to sow mulberry plants and keep them for around six months. It then gives eggs and then we harvest the silk. We collect the worms and after 5 days, the worm turns into a dark brown pupa and the cocoon is ready to be harvested. The cocoons are plucked from their trays and sorted according to their quality. We then clean them and the outer floss. The loose threads surrounding the cocoon are removed by hand.”
What is amazing is the venture was started by all-women workforce. And, with time, achieved tremendous success in capturing the market. The company will now do everything from manufacturing to branding, and surprisingly everything will be done by women only. Besides that, the state’s first mulberry silk company is already owned by women only.
“Although we started off less in number,” Devi said, “with time, we have grown and there are around 1,400 people working with us.” Devi added, “We have worked very hard in reaching this point. We started off weak, but we have worked very hard all through and that hard work has now resulted is created success. We can’t say our hard work has been in vain. Up until now, we have already sold products work Rs 66 lakh. Then the silk thread we make is there with us which costs around Rs 35 lakh. We also have stockpiles of around Rs 27 lakh worth of silk cloth and with time, we are expected to grow bigger.”