Bamboo Bottles

In a world where we cannot think of any products made without plastic, this Assamese man named Dhritiman Bohra, hailing from Biswanath Chariali, came to the rescue with his sustainable and eco-friendly water bottles.

Dhritiman is just 36 years old, lauded by his countrymen and abroad for his immense hard work against the use of plastics. He has his own company named D.B. Industries.

A BIT ABOUT HIS FIRM

We all know that bamboo is a great idea for decorative pieces, but who thought that it could be an alternative to plastic bottles? Dhritiman Bohra did not come up with this idea in a fortnight either. Rather, he has been practising the same for over 18 years to get the right material, craftsmanship, and the right design for the bottles. He firmly believes that eco-friendly products should completely ban the use of plastic in the markets.

When he started his company, he began with sofa sets, dining tables, beds, swings, easy chairs, kitchen utensils, decorative items, etc. D B Industries was started by him at the age of 16 in the year 2001 in Assam itself. In the year 2018, he worked with 12/14 employees, which is now way more in number, of course!

DHRITIMAN’S BAMBOO BOTTLES

The bamboo bottles are leak proof and are available in two designs currently in the market at a price range between 400-600 INR. Dhritiman Bohra added two more models of the bamboo bottles by October 2019.

He is an exporter of bamboo bottles in countries like Australia, Canada, the U.K., and Saudi Arabia.

He has even started selling his bottles on e-commerce websites. The bottles are made with baluka (Bambusa balcooa), making the containers more durable for use. The average time for the finished bottle is 5 hours, right from getting the bamboo to the finished bottle. The balukas are cut, boiled, smoked, joining the separated parts, and at last, you get the finished product with 5 hours of hard work, making the bottles lasts for 18 months.

What is unique with his bottles is that it is completely a nature-friendly item as well as chemical-free and hygienic. Dhritiman’s family has been running this bamboo business for a long time. Moreover, they give the products a herbal treatment to kill pests and bacteria with neem, soil, etc.  Dhritiman not only manufactures bamboo bottles but, he even makes cups, glasses and coffee mugs, and other different products that we use in our daily lives while drinking any liquid and food.

HOW THE ORDERS STARTED

Dhritiman Bohra got his first-ever order from the U.K. for 200 bottles. He said that the U.K. client wanted raw bottles with no colour or gloss on them. Until then, he used to smear the bottles with an expensive US-made waterproof oil polish. He continues to use polish for some clients. But for picky customers, the finished bottle has a coating of camphor and mustard oil for protection during transit. Foreign buyers are more inclined towards the smokey effect on the bottles with the round finish of the bottle top while others ask for the threaded caps.

BY HOME, FOR HOME AT HOME

Running the family business for around 19 years now, Dhritiman Bohra has his younger brother, Gaurav Bohra, to help him manage with the manufacturing and supervising the employees as well as manage the digital aspects of the company promotions. Not only Dhritiman’s brother but his parents help him too, with his father keeping an eye on the works and his mother taking up periodic loans for the business.

Dhritiman’s unit is at home, and he sources around 100-150 baluka every month from his locality. The current production of the bamboo bottles is 1,500, which is below the demand. With a lathe machine, a larger dryer, and other tools, the output can jump to 8,000 a month but, it needs a lot of investment that they cannot afford.

Dhritiman Bohra has even applied for a patent for his bamboo bottle as his bottles are organic compared to other Chinese manufacturers with glass interiors and steel caps.

And the Growth Continues

As new products, Dhritiman has come up with traditional Assamese ornaments, which are completely handmade with the bamboo, wood, cane, and other elements to give a finishing effect. You can check their Facebook page for the variety of bamboo products that they are making to replace the plastic products.

His dream project that he is working on is the bamboo pressure cooker, and he’s confident that if he’s successful with the pressure cooker, he’ll be making all the kitchen products with bamboo.

Dhritiman Bohra said that he had received great support from DICC AND NSIC to participate in the exhibitions from their departments. Not only that, but the Assam Govt. has also helped him get the platform to showcase his products.

We wish Dhritiman all the best for his work and hope that he can bring the change for the whole world. Read more:

Bamboo could be the key to fight climate change.