Young Entrepreneur Shares What Inspired Him To Start Creating Shirts With Hemp, Meet The Founder Of BOHECO

“We lost Dad when I was 7. Mom and I were wrecked, but we kept going, for each other. After, I had just one goal—to help Mom; to not have her shoulder everything. So, by 12, while other kids were playing, I learnt how to run our family business.

Things were finally settling down, but a few years later, I had to be strong again while Mom suffered a heart-attack, and severe arthritis. Watching her suffer made me want to do something—to help those like her.

And I entered college with the same drive.
There, I explored different clubs and activities, trying to find my purpose—I ended up connecting with like-minded people. That’s where I met Chirag, Avnish, Sumit, Delzaad, Yash and Sanvar!

We took on community service projects, and traveled all over the country. For one such project, we installed lanterns in villages where electricity was scarce. We’d go out in the pouring rain, and trek up hills, but our efforts paid off–villagers welcomed us with drums and garlands for bringing light to their lives.
It was during this time that we noticed the copious amount of cannabis growing in India.

Villagers told us, ‘Baaki sab murjha jaate hai, yeh nahi.’ And we’d think, ‘Can all this hemp be used for a purpose?’ The idea began to brew…
Then, on a trip across rural Australia, I stumbled upon a town that was different; it was prospering! Curious, I asked the locals, ‘What do you do differently?’ And they said, ‘We grow hemp.’ I was amazed—they told me about buildings, clothes, products… everything made out of hemp!
Excited, I brought the idea back to my friends; we could do the same in India! And over 2 years, we researched and chalked out a plan—to kickstart a change.

And finally, in 2013, the 7 of us came together to found BOHECO – Bombay Hemp Company. From our tiny matchbox office, we wrote 100’s of emails, and spent days traveling for 10-minute meetings. But surprisingly, we got a lot of support from officials. When we launched our first product—a 100% hemp shirt—even narcotic officers and Parliament members promoted it!
We did face hurdles; people would ask, ‘If I wear this shirt, will I get high?’ We had to fight that bias.

But somewhere, the intrigue about our products took over–people would show-off their ‘bhang’ products to friends and family!
Once, an 83-year-old woman called our arthritis medicine, ‘a magic potion taking years of pain away’. And even Mom, who survived cancer last year, is a regular customer now!
Over the last decade, we’ve touched 100K+ lives, and empowered hundreds of farmers. And Mr. Ratan Tata, among others, has invested in us!
It’s all about purpose. My family’s suffering was what made me want to create an impact… and now, we’re helping thousands of families in India!”

Written by: Sakshi Mehta

Source:Humans of Bombay

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com