Promoting Goa’s Kunbi handloom weave as an international brand

The State of Goa is marching ahead with the missions chalked out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant – to make India self-dependent in each and every sector. Encouraging women entrepreneurships and start-ups by assisting financially through various schemes, the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat – Swayampurna Goa’ mission is being taken forward, and the journey of some of the ‘Lakhpati Didis’ from Women Self Help Groups is self-explanatory in showcasing the groundbreaking success of these concepts. Sneha Naik is one such ‘Lakhpati Didi’ from remote Goa has taken her brand ‘ Kunbi Goa' to the international level.

This local weave worn by the Kunbi and Gawda communities in Goa, was hand woven cotton saree form dyed in natural colours, mostly indigo and red, as only these were available in the olden days. The women who worked in paddy fields wore the saree as it was suitable while carrying out various types of manual works. It is a thing to be proud of that Kunbi fabric will have its own GI Tag in the near future.

Sneha bagged Extrapreneur Award (2019), Iconic Woman Award (2022 & 2023), Swayampurnaa Sanman (2023), Yashaswini Woman (2024), Asturi Queen (2024) and many more for various organisations. “The credit of my success should go to all – the weavers, women from the self-help groups, the GSRLM (Goa State Rural Livelihood Mission), DRDA (District Rural Development Agency) North Goa, GHRSSIDC (Goa Handicrafts Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation), NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant for making a rural woman like me financially independent and by offering handholding at every step to establish my business in the market,” says a thankful Sneha, 55.

Preserving the cultural heritage of her home State Goa, and elevating the local, traditional Kunbi handloom weave to an international level, Sneha has been successful in showcasing to the world this beautiful art of Kunbi sarees which was fading into oblivion. “Giving a modern touch to Kunbi saree, and adding a creative touch to this traditional weave, I made ready-to-wear-sarees, gift hampers, hand-painted frames, ties, jackets, stoles, shawls, dresses, blouses, dhoti, suits, skirts, pants, coatis, blazers, shoulder bags, potli bags, purses, tea coasters, table runners, folders, laptop holders, shagun cards, jewellery sets... which were well received in the exhibitions in India and abroad,” shares Sneha who aims to be ‘Millionaire Didi’ by 2025.

“My goal and aim is to give a respectful space to Kunbi weave in the market, and a permanent place in the hearts and homes of not only Goans, but people worldwide,” states Sneha who boasts of being the first ‘Drone Woman’ in Goa. “Yes, I was the first woman from Goa to take drone pilot training under the Central government scheme for self-help group members. I went to TaraMitra Drone Academy, at Faltan, Satara, DGCA-authorised Remote Pilot Training Organisation in Satara, first of its kind in the region. I was a part of the Namo Drone Didi Yojana wherein the PM distributed 1,000 drones to women's self-help groups in villages.

Grabbing opportunities and learning new skills at every step, Sneha recalls how she got the opportunity to participate in the first Start-up Mela in New Delhi, and also to display her products at the World Trade Centre in Mumbai. “I travelled to Mauritius, Singapore and Dubai to display my products in the international expositions,” shares Sneha who has empowered herself financially, along with hundreds of other women entrepreneurs in Goa.

Sneha’s humble beginning as a member of the Bhootnath Self Help Group at Pernem and her confidence that she can do multiple things with the help, guidance and support from village organisations made her the chairperson of Kalpavruksha Gram Seva Sangha, Tuem. She also got associated with the cluster level federation 'Saptarshi' Pernem block. “It was a respectful journey that began with the seed capital investment of Rs 60,000 from CIF. I participated in ‘SARAS’ exhibition. Today, the business has grown exponentially,” she admits.

Birth of O’Saiba Foods

Sneha’s parents used to run a small hotel O’Saiba at Mandrem. Her brothers expanded the business and began running supermarkets and resorts. The original small family business was shut, and as a tribute to her parents, Sneha revived it and named her food products O'Saiba Foods.

Sneha recalls, “When I began participating in exhibitions, an opportunity knocked at my door. I was invited to exhibit Goan products at Mauritius. I had to name my brand, so I named it O’Saiba Foods. Mauritius Marathi Mandal appreciated these products and I even won the ‘Best Exhibitor’ title there. O’Saiba Foods started with what my mother used to prepare at home and sell – churmure laddoo, shankarpale, nevryo, kapa. I added other products like xacuti masala, fish masala, garam masala, coconut burfi, coconut oil, dry-fruit laddoo, coconut oil, boiled rice, kokam, salt, palm jaggery, cashews, chilli and turmeric powder produced in Goa,” adds Sneha who now makes gift hampers priced at Rs 1000-2500 depending upon the number of items included. “I just completed orders of my Christmas bookings,” she quips.

‘Kunbi Goa’: A concept that clicked

Then there was an addition to her products – Kunbi sarees. In one of the exhibitions by Laghu Udhyog Bharati, Bengaluru Sneha saw that there were handlooms from each State. Goa’s handloom was missing. So she thought of Kunbi weave, and in an attempt to promote this local brand she got in touch with the handloom weaving centres in North Goa. She took the Kunbi sarees and displayed them in her exhibitions.

However, the demand for saree was limited. If unsold, the women were discouraged to weave as there were no returns. So instead of only sarees, Sneha thought of making ties, stoles, shawls, bags etc out of this weave and the concept clicked. With the leftover pieces after cutting and stitching, the women made jewellery. That also had demand. At her stall in Vibrant Goa expo, Sneha learnt the value of branding. She made tags, visiting cards, brochures of her products and named her brand ‘Kunbi Goa’ which gained popularity over time.

Gradually the number of products also grew – souvenirs for tourists, corporate gift hampers, frames, blouses... The village women also got work. More hands were added as the demand grew. Sneha also learnt to weave. Currently five handloom centres are running in North Goa with the help of NABARD support to women to make Kunbi weaves. Wishing to give respect and honour to the local Kunbi weave, she introduced it in the market with innovative value additions, creating various products out of the weave to promote and popularise it. And she did it. Sneha’s hard work and innovative concepts in both her brands ‘O Saiba Foods’ and ‘Kunbi Goa’ won appreciation and recognition. Award and honours also followed. She is now a role model for women in Goa.