The artisanal paradox: Why small-batch businesses struggle to grow

Artisanal goods cost more. They stand for a different way of living and business. It’s at odds with commercial growth. See how some of them are crafting change

Pop quiz: What word shows up on a cheese menu, at a chic boutique, in a home-décor business, on handmade soaps and candle brands, in studio pottery and on Insta Reels? It also dominated last weekend’s flea market in Mumbai. We’d give you 10 points for guessing “artisanal”, but alas, we only have eight. As with everything artisanal, supply is limited.

Akanksha Batra’s The Green Collective works with women who forage for pine needles and turn them into décor.

Mausam Narang’s Eleftheria Cheese fights pricing pressure from imported processed cheeses. (HT Archives)

Artisanal producers, including urban cheesemakers, are also in competition among themselves. (Eleftheria Cheese)

Sanket Bhansali set up his label Bougainvillea in 2020, selling natural-fabric, hand-printed fashion.