An entrepreneur from Assam has come up with an out-of-the-box idea to make his product stand out. Dhritiman Borah, an exporter of Bamboo products, has given the world a sustainable and eco-friendly product – bamboo bottle to quench your thirst.

In a world full of plastic products which are not biodegradable and make its way to marine ecology eradicating several species, Borah’s idea saves the day.

One of the most frequently used daily products, plastic bottles have seen a meteorite rise in production, concerning the environmentalist across the world. According to a report published in the Guardian, more than 480 bn plastic drinking bottles were sold worldwide in 2016, a 300 bn rise from a decade ago.

To address this problem and also to make his company’s product different, Borah started manufacturing bottles which were completely made of bamboos.

From Cup to Bamboo Bottle

In a bid to better understand his product and the thought that went behind it, The Logical Indian spoke to Dhritiman Borah.

Borah’s company – D.B Industry, which was established in 2001, was successfully exporting bulk bamboo products to foreign lands.

“Our family business of manufacturing bamboo furniture, kitchen utensils, and agricultural implements was doing well. However, I wanted to give a new design to the utility products such as cups, mugs, and bottles. The idea of a bottle popped in my head in 2017 when I saw a bamboo glass. I thought the addition of a lid on the glass would morph it into a bottle,” Borah said talking about the inception of his idea.

The bamboo bottles were an instant hit at Borah’s native –  Nabapur area of Biswanath Chariali. However, thanks to the trend of social media, the demand for bamboo bottles increased across the country.

Recollecting, Borah said, “I remember I had posted one photo of the bamboo bottles on my facebook page at the initial stage. Within hours, I saw people asking where to buy it from. Within 30 days, I received orders of 500-600 bamboo bottles.”

USP Of The Bottle

These bamboo bottles are completely organic and are made with durable bamboo – baluka (Bambusa balcooa). The caps of the bottle are air-tight and also made of bamboos.

“The main concern people had about using my bottles were how air-tight were these bottles,” said Borah. Explaining the engineering put behind moulding the bamboo into an air-tight cap, he said that the machines that give the shape to the caps are difficult to get and requires great work.

Each bottle takes around 4-5 hours for manufacturing, including the process of cutting, drying, boiling, joining, and finishing the bamboo.

Understanding the power of e-commerce websites, Borah started selling his unique product on various websites. These bottles are sold at a price between Rs 400- Rs 600. On asking if there are any competitor to his bottles, he proudly said, “ Right now we do not have any competitor in the country.”

Borah shares that a brand in China makes bamboo bottles, but they add different materials inside the bottle such as glass and metal. He has filed for a patent right for his product in India.

Foreign Market

The first international exposure that these bamboo bottles got was in 2018 when the company displayed the bottles at an international fair in Delhi.

“In order to understand the mindset of foreign people, I send bottles to some of my foreign clients.” The feedback that Borah received was a pure game changer. He was informed that foreign people avoid waterproof oil polish, which gives extra gloss.

“In India, people prefer the glossy product. However, in foreign lands, it’s quite the opposite. Understanding the difference in preferences, I tried to sell raw bottles to them”, he added.

Borah has now started exporting his product to various parts of the world with ease. In last one year, he has exported bamboo bottles to Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia.

Future Plans

“We are planning to make big bottles which can carry 2 or more litres of water,” Borah shyly replied when asked about his future plans.

The new design will come in October. Borah is also trying various methods to make people aware of his product since the internet is not accessible to a huge chunk of the population.

The Logical Indian salutes Dhritiman Borah for coming up with a sustainable, organic, and degradable bottles at a time when it is hard to think of anything without plastic. We hope people come up with more such ingenious ideas that ease the burden on the earth.

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