Founder's Desk
Hello,
My name is Maitri Jariwala and I'm the Founder of Kalla – begin with flowers - a social enterprise rooted in the philosophy of upcycling waste, circular economy and sustainability. As per the name suggest our journey in morning starts from getting flowers from Temples in Surat, Gujarat. We try our very best to offer upcycled value added products for personal care, home care, including sustainability as a root.
I wanted to personally welcome you to our community of striving changemakers, health + wellness enthusiasts, people passionate about the environment, people passion about clean and sustainable living or people just about to embark on whatever stage of your journey! Have been working in the fastest and cleanest city of India seeing what our waste warriors really go through on a daily basis, I decided to start living my own life as per my values, which then ended up leading to Kalla – begin with flowers - where our products will not generate waste in the first place itself! But will upcycle the flowers from Temples which usually used to end up in water bodies thereby contaminating the water.
We aren't perfect, and we don't claim to be perfect either - the fun and adventure lies in imperfection and we are excited to be leading this movement since 24, August,2022! We're super passionate about creating products that are handcrafted by our women artisans in India. At Kalla, we try to combine the old with the new, starting with flowers. We take a "cradle to cradle" approach to every product, from design to manufacturing to distribution. All our products are based on natural ingredients. It does not harm our health or the environment, and the production team is led entirely by women. As entrepreneurs who simply do their best, we welcome you, try us out, and look forward to your transition to a mindful lifestyle, starting with flowers, with Kalla. A small welcome gift from us to you.
Lots of love,
Maitri Jariwala
Founder and CEO
Kalla – begin with flowers LLP.
Our Story
We want to take you on a journey back to a time when our founder Maitri was just a curious 6-7-year-old, visiting the temple daily with fresh flowers from our backyard garden, a kettle of water, and grains to offer to the deity. She was taught that we offer flowers to seek blessings and well-being for our family. It was a ritual filled with love and devotion.
But soon, her innocent eyes noticed something that broke her heart. She saw the temple authorities gathering those devotional holy flowers and carelessly dumping them into the dustbins outside the temple. It felt like a contradiction - we offer flowers for blessings, and then we discard them without a second thought.
Years passed, and she found myself pursuing my bachelor's degree. During that time, she embarked on a journey to explore a larger problem that needed attention. Her friends and she decided to investigate this issue further. Her college was close to a significant temple, and there, we encountered a massive dustbin brimming with holy flowers placed outside the temple premises, waiting to be collected by the garbage van.
She couldn't ignore it any longer. She collected those discarded flowers in bags and brought them to our college. With the support of our professors and facilities, she dove deep into researching this problem. It was then that birthed our brand, Kalla, with a vision to upcycle temple flowers into meaningful, sustainable products.
Our journey began with the creation of Holi Colors, and it didn't stop there. We've since crafted Bathing Bars, Natural Dyes for Clothes, and Incense Sticks - all from these sacred blooms that were once tossed away.
At Kalla, we're more than just a brand; we're a movement. We're transforming waste into wonders, embracing sustainability, and promoting natural and organic living. Every product you purchase from us tells a story of devotion, conservation, and the power of a small idea that grew into something beautiful.
Thank you for being part of our journey, and together, let's continue making a difference.
Let's relive the story of temple flowers