Born and raised in a village near Ajmer, Rajasthan, Shobhit Soni was influenced by businessmen all around him. At a very young age, he knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur.
So fresh out of engineering college, Shobhit started his first business ‘Cutting Meri Wali Chai’ where he sold tea in kulhads (earthen cups).
But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the nation, the venture had to pause. During the lockdown, Shobhit, at home, couldn’t stop his business-focused thoughts.
“In the short duration of time when we were operable, I noticed a gap in the market. The kulhads that were delivered to us and other businesses would break in transit, resulting in losses. The market seemed very unorganised,” he says.
This laid the foundation for ‘Mittisa’, a company that makes earthenware that is 100 percent sustainable and eco-friendly.
“I decided to invest a sum of Rs 50 lakh in setting up the factory in Ajmer. I even faced losses because there are little or no resources that you can refer to while setting up this business,” he says.
Today, Shobhit’s plant produces around 60,000 kulhads daily, and his business brings in an impressive annual turnover of Rs 2.76 crore.
With an intention to assist others in setting up kulhad plants with minimal expenses, he also created a 15-minute video — to teach people how to set up their own plants and use the machinery required for making kulhads, all in 15 days.
“The desi way of making kulhad is by hand, but I have developed a machine to do the same. When a customer comes to us, we help them set up their factory, give them the machine and also train them in using it,” he adds.
So far, he has set up over 45 kulhad plants across India in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka etc, and one is a work in progress in Canada.