Melbourne-based home and lifestyle brand Bhumi has raised $244,502 from 258 investors through an equity crowdfunding round on Birchal to further its aim of making sustainable clothing choices the new norm and putting a stop to fast fashion.
Launched in 2018, Bhumi bootstrapped itself until now, serving more than 100,000 customers on the way to generating over $15 million in sales.
‘Bhumi’ is the Sanskrit word for earth, so when husband-wife duo Vinita and Dushyant Baravkar decided to start their organic cotton brand in 2018 to create sustainable products, it seemed only natural they would zero in on a name that honours the basic foundation of their brand, and of life on the planet.
Speaking to SmartCompany, the duo shared their journey of starting a brand from scratch, the move to physical retail and the future of sustainability.
Both Vinita and Dushyant share a deep passion for sustainability and ethical practices. With a background in nursing and international public health, Vinita spent time in India with NGOs that uncovered a deeper, darker world of the textile industry. Co-founder Dushyant has a background in finance.
“Bhumi was born out of a vision to provide consumers with products that are not only high-quality building on a rich heritage of Indian textiles and craftsmanship but also environmentally conscious and ethical,” the founders say.
Working with NGOs in India, Vinita saw firsthand the devastating truths behind conventional cotton, unethical labour practices, farmer suicides and the incredible amount of toxic chemicals and pesticides being used, which affected the soils, the waterways, the air and humans.
“Sustainability is at the core of Bhumi’s brand identity. From the sourcing of organic cotton to our manufacturing processes and packaging, every aspect of our business from seed to shelf is geared towards minimising our environmental impact,” the founders share.
“We are so happy and proud to work with nature with innovative techniques such as harvesting monsoon rain, solar power plants, neem leaves as natural pest control and plant-based dyes.”
Founded in 2018 in Melbourne, Bhumi focused on an online-only presence for its first six years to offer its premium organic cotton bedding, bath, basics and apparel products. However, in the past two months, the brand has opened two physical stores – one in Byron Bay in New South Wales in April, and the other in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood in May.
Expanding on their rationale for these particular locations, the founders say the Byron Bay and Collingwood stores, “were chosen strategically to align with our target demographic and brand ethos”.
“Byron Bay, known for its eco-conscious community, was a natural choice for one of our flagship stores. Collingwood, with its vibrant arts and culture scene, offered us an opportunity to tap into a diverse urban market while staying true to our brand values,” they explain.
The team also tapped into its customer data and “realised we have a high concentration of our customers around these area codes”.
According to Bhumi’s Birchal profile, the brand’s multi-channel strategy will help it build a legacy brand in the future.
The founders revealed to SmartCompany the business’ goal is to raise $2 million, out of which “over $1.2 million has already been raised (or committed to) outside of the [Birchal] platform”.
“The interest we’ve received for funding outside of the platform has been overwhelming – these are obviously bigger cheques that require some additional dialogue and consideration, which has kept us very busy lately,” they say.
Bhumi’s goal for its Birchal campaign was “to not only raise capital but also to engage our community of supporters and advocates”, say Vinita and Dushyant.
“Strangely though, even though we received a high number of expressions of interest through the platform the actual conversion has been somewhat lower than we thought,” the founders shared.
During the equity crowdfunding campaign, the brand’s social media presence also increased, with the founders posting videos and posts to Instagram and TikTok to give the campaign a push.
The founders say they put themselves out there and tapped into community engagement and storytelling, along with their 13-year-old daughter who featured in numerous social posts.
“By sharing our story, values, and mission through reels, posts, and stories, we’ve been able to generate buzz and excitement around the campaign,” they said.
The brand had been completely bootstrapped prior to its fundraising campaign and experienced consistent year-on-year growth, with sales to date of over $15 million.
“This financial year we surpassed a significant milestone of welcoming over 100,000 customers, reflecting the robust demand and trust in our sustainable and eco-conscious products,” the founders say.
Bhumi’s sales increased by 15% in the first nine months of the 2024 financial year, compared to the entire 2023 financial year, and by 31% compared to the same period the year before, they added.
“Our consistent growth reflects the strong demand for our sustainable products and the effectiveness of our strategic initiatives.”
Vinita and Dushyant say the brand has seen a growing demand for sustainable alternatives, “especially among younger consumers who prioritise ethical and environmentally friendly products”.
“Post COVID we have seen a rise in greenwashing and companies all trying to say their product is natural or sustainable, but that is where we ask people to ask questions,” they say.
“Ask what is it, what is in it, how was it made, where was it made, who made it, what was the process to make it, what was the environmental impact to make it, what was the social justice impact to make it, did it harm any sentient being.
“It is incredible what these answers reveal and that is where Bhumi is open to transparency and the truth behind the textile industry and organic cotton and linen.
“We want people to know the truth of what they are wearing, buying, sleeping in and know that is good for the planet and good for humanity,” they explained.
Both Vinita and Dushyant are candid that their journey has not been without difficulties.
“As South Asians and Vinita as a woman founder, we’ve faced unique challenges and opportunities, and shifting from our health and finance backgrounds into the retail sector has had its mountain of challenges. But we are always keen to learn, adapt and change with the times,” they say.
“The ocean has taught us to flow and we have had to navigate some interesting times especially during and after COVID. While navigating the business landscape, we’ve been committed to fostering diversity and inclusion within our team and industry.”
Vinita says as “a proud Indian Australian I have loved merging my two worlds in business, partnerships and community. Our diverse backgrounds have really enriched our perspectives and contributed to Bhumi’s success”.
For now, Bhumi is focused on building on its goal to leave the planet in a better place than we found it.
“We will always work hard to build on what Mahatma Gandhi said: ‘There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness’.”
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Prior to joining SmartCompany, Mrinaal was the content head at Lawctopus. She has a dual degree in business and law, with a Masters in constitutional law. You can follow her on Twitter at @mrinaaldatt.
