Kudumbashree - Success Story of Dhanya Cutlery Unit

The members of Dhanya Cutlery unit of Archana Neighborhood Group(NHG) from Parali Panchayath of Edathara of Palakkad district of Kerala is very much excited about opening their micro enterprise unit at Kanchikode Industrial Estate, Palakkad. They are experts in making kitchen utensils like dosa tava, appa tava etc and are making livelihood of their own. The unit is run by a group of Kudumbashree women including C. Krishnakumari, Prasanna, Abuvamma, Rugmini, Parvathi and Shubha. The average monthly sales of this Micro enterprise unit is around Rs 1.5 lakhs.

Evolution of Dhanya Cutlery unit

The unit was launched during 2009. Krishnakumari had previous experience in this sector and that is why they ended in such a Micro enterprise unit when they thought about starting one such for finding a source of livelihood.  During the initial time, the micro enterprise unit was started in small scale using the money identified from the NHG as loan. They later started selling their products directly to households and through various trade fairs being organized by Kudumbashree Mission.  Their micro enterprise unit being a unique one, it gained much public attention from the time of launch itself. As their products were of good quality, they got more customers too. Krishnakumari’s husband also helped them during the time of heavy works that needed more physical efforts. The group had received several accolades and appreciations during the mean time. They are the active participants of the Saras fairs being organized inside and outside the state.

Every member of the unit gets an average amount of Rs 6000 as monthly income from this venture. Their products are also sold through Kudumbashree Bazaar, Kudumbashree Mission’s online sales website. As their sales increased, they started efforts to shift their unit to a better place. As a result, 10 cent land was allotted for Dhanya Cutlery unit at Kanchikode Industrial Estate. They had bought the new machineries for the same. For this, an amount of Rs 3 lakh was availed as bank loan. They are also planning about buying a van for selling their products and take their venture to greater heights.

Started as a small venture the success that Dhanya Cutlery unit had attained is mind blowing. Dhanya Cutlery unit could be considered as an epitome of unaltered will power and confidence. With a gradual yet steady growth, Dhanya Cutlery unit had proved that belief in their selves could take anyone to greater success. Kudumbashree Mission is helping as many women to succeed in their lives and live a life that they had once dreamt of!