Online market place for handicrafts and handlooms raises an undisclosed amount from angel investors

New Delhi, June 5 (KNN) Srinagar-based Kashmir Box, an online marketplace for handicrafts, handlooms and local produce, has raised an undisclosed amount from a clutch of prominent investors in an angel funding round.

The online platform, Kashmir Box will use the funds to expand its base to include 36,000 local artisans and farmers and launch its existing gourmet food brand Koshur in more than 200 selling points across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, the company statement said.

Founded in 2011 by Muheet Mehraj, Kashmir Box is an e-commerce venture that sells authentic Kashmiri food items and local products worldwide.

Through its Koshur brand, Kashmir Box works with more than 300 farmers across the Valley who sells healthy food offerings such as saffron, dry fruits, teas and kehwas, spices and herbs and essential oils among others.

Started in early 2015, Koshur had a turnover of Rs 1.1 crore last year alone, with dry fruits, spices, honey and jams being the most sold products.

Talking about the Kashmir box, SCA Group’s Jani said in a statement “I am pleased to invest in Kashmir Box, which is reviving some of the valley’s largest and critical sectors; handicrafts, handlooms and agriculture in a manner that appeals to a global audience.

The Kashmir Box owner, Mehraj said in a statement “we have successfully managed to bring together more than 10,000 local artisans and farmers on our platform that has served a strong 50,000 plus clientele across 40 countries already.”

Further she added that our efforts have resulted in an approximately 40% increase in the wages of our artisans and farmers.

The investors who participated in the round included Bhairavi Jani, director at supply chain management firm SCA Group; Alok Divatia, former marketing head at consumer electronics firm LG India; Namrata Kaul, former managing director at Deutsche Bank, London; Sohail Hashemi, software development manager at Amazon Web Services in the Bay Area; and Aijaz Saleem, a handicrafts exporter in Kashmir.