Husband-Wife duo back in 2021 founded a venture called ‘Avni’, which provides toxin-free, functional menstrual care products. Products are women centred based on their flow, body type, and comfort. Avni means ‘The Earth’ and is a female hygiene brand inspired by Grand Moms and Ayurveda to provide sustainable and safe products to customers. All products are proudly Made in India, believing that true empowerment comes from relying on local ingredients and skills, with 100% recyclable and environmentally friendly packaging.
Let’s chat about her brainchild with the Co-Founder, Ms Sujata Pawar. “The idea behind this comes from personal experience, as commercial pads have always resulted in rashes, irritation, and various skin infections. I began looking for better alternatives 8 years ago and was surprised to discover that none of the existing brands in the market catered to these considerations”.
“This kicked start towards my mission to provide well-researched menstrual hygiene products appropriate for sensitive areas, eco-friendly and safe for sanitation workers. This research brought ‘Avni’, a reusable cloth pad. India’s first tested cloth pad absorbs period leaks and protects against infections. As a team, we are glad to change the menstrual worldview in India by enlightening many people through our workshops”, she added.
Avni to emerge as a trustworthy women’s wellness brand, catering to the needs of women of all ages who are concerned about reducing their plastic footprint by using alternatives such as reusable sanitary pads made of washable cotton clothes, menstrual cups, and tampons. Each cloth pad a customer purchases is hand-stitched by our tribe of incredible women across rural India. 8% of our profits are dedicated to empowering women and girls through education and high-quality products. As a result, for every pad purchased, one woman moves towards financial independence. Avni work on the modern approach to the time-tested ancient ways of managing menstrual cycles with high-quality natural ingredients trusted by women.
Transitioning from traditional period products is not easy for every woman, says Ms Pawar and shares, “In order to emerge Avni as a reliable women’s health brand, we worked hard to secure the support of dedicated doctors, medical experts, and a 24X7 AvniBuddy service helpline. Our customer services try to recognize each customer’s worries and guide them towards better product application and usability. There are significant bottlenecks when catering to rural areas, where adoption rates are lower than in urban areas, as educated women have access to more resources. To cover this, we launched the DAAG project, in which we collaborate with local NGOs to conduct educational and awareness sessions with young girls from rural communities and the most remote areas. Through this social outreach project, Avni also donates menstrual health kits to resource-poor menstruators such as sex workers, waste pickers, and college dropouts who rely on low-quality sanitary products. In addition, marketing sanitary products have several roadblocks from abashed viewers. Keeping in mind this already existing conundrum, we try marketing our products online and offline in such a way that it produces the right discourse on intimate hygiene, which we have been ashamed of for so many years”.
Hello Entrepreneur’s readers can buy Avni Products from here: www.myavni.com and on major e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, OneGreen, Smytten and Woovly. In addition to its online presence, Avni has 18 retail outlets in southern India.
Plans of Avni:
- Avniseeks to create a world where menstruation is not considered taboo anymore.
- Period poverty isn’t a thing.
- Every menstruator is proud of bleeding.
With the team’s ongoing efforts toward the betterment of women, the company have the vision to touch 10 million women through its products, ambassador network and micro-entrepreneurship initiatives.
