SETU-The Bridge To Artisans is made up of 2 teams. One team is located in Gwalior, India and is in charge of artisan & product development, production, quality control, logistics and most importantly, upholding Fair Trade practices. The other team is located in Austin, TX, USA and is in charge of product design, web control, sales and marketing operations. Because of our two international teams, SETU-The Bridge To Artisans is proudly classified as a true global company.
This section will help you learn more about the team members who strive towards better Fair Trade sourcing solutions.
India Team : Gwalior, M.P., India
Rashmi : Founder & CEO
Rashmi Dhariwal is a successful textile engineer from a prestigious school in Rajasthan, India. Rashmi has worked in the past with a large manufacturing organization in India as head of Technology and Quality Assurance.
“I was brought up in a loving and protective family atmosphere, without ever realizing the hardships of life that a lot of people have to go through,” Rashmi tells the team.
Rashmi was leading an easy-going and comfortable life when she came in contact with an artisan community, who had expertise in hand weaving fine fabrics with intricate designs & motifs. Their art was beautiful, but they could not compete with the power-loom fabric available in the marketplace. While they were so good at their art, they still had no prospect of good income. The lack of access to a market and the technology-driven competition were taking their toll on the artisans and the art was dying along with their spirits. They were forcing their next generation to work as cheap laborers rather than pursue their rich art and culture. “That made me realize that there was a lot more in life and that I should try to make a difference, however small it may be,” Rashmi shared. She continued: “There had to be a bigger purpose of my being.”
Rashmi left her job and spent some time with the community, helping them design modern products and identify ways to reach the market. They designed modern products using their art and held exhibitions in various parts of the country, getting them appreciation for their art and business. This gave the artisans a lot of confidence and hope for their art. At the same time, the entire experience helped Rashmi visualize a process which could be used to support various artisans achieve economic sustainability and growth.
This was the time when she came across the concept of Fair Trade. She finds Fair Trade a perfect model of sustainable development through ethical trade and a powerful solution to the social & economic development of the marginalized & underprivileged communities, especially in the developing third world.
Inspired by this, she founded SETU-The Bridge To Artisans with the mission of empowering the social and economic standing of underprivileged artisans by providing them sustainable growth opportunities through Fair Trade practices. SETU’ in Sanskrit means `the bridge’. As indicated from the name, SETU-The Bridge to Artisans acts as a bridge between the underprivileged/marginalized artisans and the international/affluent markets, at the same time, working for social, economic and environmental well-being of the artisan community
After closely working with the artisan communities and understanding their challenges for 3 years, she also founded a charitable Society called SETU-Society for Empowerment & Trade Upliftment of Artisans. The basic aim of the Society is to perform works of charity, implement social & economic welfare projects, spread education and raise awareness regarding various issues amongst the weaker sections of the society.
“I now feel that I am finally doing justice to the purpose of my existence on this earth. Life has become much more meaningful. I enjoy each and every moment of my work. With Fair Trade, everyone can make a difference in the world, however small it may be“, tells Rashmi to the team.
Devendra : Mentor & Advisor
Devendra is a qualified engineer and management graduate, working with a multinational company as Chief Production Manager. He belongs to Jodhpur, a heritage city in Thar Desert region of Rajasthan, near Indo-Pak border.
Since his early life, he had witnessed the barren & tough life of poor villagers. He was very sensitive towards human issues. The challenges and lack of opportunity in the lives of these rural people always remained a concern area for him. “My vision was to create a fair world where everyone gets his fair piece of bread justly”, he tells the team.
To closely understand the issues and challenges of the poor villagers, he visited many remote villages on Indo-Pak border. He was shocked at the deprived state in which the people had to live in. After spending some time with them, he realized that they still practiced their beautiful traditional arts and crafts. Unfortunately, because of the lack of awareness and education, they were unable to convert their art into functional products of world’s interest and thus were losing a potential opportunity for their livelihood. “At that point I realized that there was actually a need of a bridge between them and the developed world, which can translate their art into customers’ language and bring them closer to each other”, he shares with the team. This vision of Devendra became the back bone to form an organization which could work as a bridge between the artisans & the global world and finally ‘SETU-The Bridge To Artisans’ was conceptualized.
He believes that education and economic sustainability are the only ways to end the miseries of the underprivileged and the marginalized communities. He firmly believes that there is a need to develop new resources for the artisans and make this trade more profitable and attractive. He says, “Unless we are able to attract the next generation of the artisans for practicing and continuing the traditional art of their forefathers, we cannot preserve the art. We will only be successful when a parent wishes that his child too chooses his traditional art amongst all other earning options”.
He is a strong supporter of Fair Trade and says, “I think that the best way to live is to make conscious choices about the effect we want to have on the world. And choosing Fair Trade gives us the opportunity to do just that!”
Although Devendra is not involved in the day-to-day working of SETU, he always takes out time for guidance & support to reinforce company’s policies & vision plans. He still visits artisan groups in the remotest of areas to understand their problems and to suggest possible way outs. “Whenever I take one more step towards my goal of ‘empowerment to all with fair trade’, I feel happy and relaxed. This feeling of satisfaction drives me to work more for my dream to come true”, he shares.
Archna Chauhan : Product and Artisan Development Manager
An MBA in Finance, Archna handles the Product & Artisan development at SETU. She is immensely creative & has a great affinity towards art & craft. She co-ordinates between our product designers and the grass root artisans. She deals with our artisan groups on a daily basis and therefore is quite familiar with their constraints and living conditions. Being in regular contact with them, she knows that the art form is the only source of income for an artisan. Also, dealing with artisans on a regular basis makes her aware of the positive changes Fair Trade has brought in their lives. Belonging to a Finance background when she first joined SETU she thought Fair Trade to be a concept similar to Free Trade, it was only after some time that she came to know what exactly Fair Trade is and not surprisingly enough she found it simply amazing!!
In her words, “In today’s world full of evil practices, Fair Trade is a ray of hope for the poor. It’s the only one which can bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. Especially in developing and under developed countries, it can work wonders”
L.R. Kaushal: Social Development Manager
A social activist, Mr. L.R. Kaushal looks after the community welfare activities conducted under the non-profit arm of SETU Consortium, SETU Society. He has been associated with many Government & non-Government projects & has done a plenty of voluntary work for social causes. He has developed numerous Self-help groups and is passionate about community development. Many NGOs have benefited from his vast experience. His day-to-day affairs include organising health camps, awareness campaigns, Training and Community development workshops and the like. Belonging to the same work area, he is quite amazed to see the vigour with which SETU carries out its activities and feels very proud to be a part of it.
His views on Fair Trade are from a social viewpoint. In his words:
“Practising Fair Trade either by purchasing Fair Trade products or helping the talented artisans in some other way is the best way of giving back to the society”
Gulmohar Matta: Social Media & Activities Co-ordinator
Gulmohar, an MBA from Amity University, comes from a Defence background and therefore had an opportunity to travel all around the country. While travelling to different regions she got to witness the hardships which people have to face just to fetch two square meals a day and conclusively she came to know that life is not a fairy tale for everyone. She has also studied in affluent countries like England & US during her MBA tenure and feels that the two worlds (developing & the developed) can come together for a good cause. With time she made a commitment to herself that she will do something for the upliftment of the poor. Before joining SETU, she was helping out a children’s NGO. At SETU, she looks after the P.R. and e-social part. She is specially interested in the issues related to the sustainable development of artisan community.
In her words “SETU’s work for the development of the artisan community is quite appreciative. By creating livelihood opportunities, it is bringing smiles on many faces..”
Tarun Bhargava :QA and Logistics Head
Tarun looks after the QA & Logistics management at SETU. A business graduate, he has an experience of fifteen years of working in corporate textile industry. Prior to working with SETU, he was part of an NGO showcasing the environmental issues. There he developed a desire to do some worthwhile work for the society; a way of giving back to the society, and by joining SETU his desire got fulfilled!!
He feels quite motivated with the work SETU is doing for the artisan community and that too by following the sustainable business model “Fair Trade”. In his words “Fair Trade is helping the underprivileged people to be at par with the society, and by following this ethical concept SETU is providing an opportunity to the artisans to become entrepreneurs, thereby breaking the age-old dependency on middlemen”
Neetu Sharma :Artisan Development & Media co-ordinator
Neetu looks after the P.R. and e-social part of SETU. An MBA graduate by education, she has a creative bent of mind. Always wanting do some worthwhile work for society; her aspirations came to reality with SETU. She was not aware of the Fair Trade concept initially; it was only after joining SETU that she came across this concept. Earlier she was of the view that nobody cares for the underprivileged people in today’s world full of greed and competition. If someone even does, it’s just a feeling of compassion and not to actually help the needy but working at SETU has totally changed her opinion. She now believes that still there are organisations like SETU who are working towards the upliftment of weaker sections of the society by recognising their skills.
In her words, “Fair Trade is the best business concept and should be applied to every business. Future of world lies in Fair Trade as it promotes sustainability, gender equality, ecofriendliness and the like things, that are the need of the hour”.
Sera Vesta : Contributor
Sera joined SETU at a very young age. A commerce graduate, she is a quick learner and can grasp things easily. Her down to earth attitude towards life can be attributed to her humble upbringing. Right from childhood, she had the feeling of giving back to the society, always wanting to do something for the less fortunate people. To fulfil this desire, she worked with some missionaries and had seen the life of orphanage children very closely. She was taken aback to see that how these children live life bravely without the unconditional love of their parents. When she joined SETU and found that SETU is committed towards improving the life of the marginalised and downtrodden sections of the society, her long cherished dream of social upliftment came to life. She loves the Fair Trade concept.
In her words, “Fair Trade is a wonderful concept. It provides an opportunity for the artisans to fetch a fair price for their product which is otherwise not possible for them due to lack of direct access to the markets. Also artisans are not much aware of the latest trends happening in the market place.”
At SETU, her work profile includes contributing to the website, visualising, photography and the like. She has come a long way since she first joined SETU. Everything about her has remained the same but what has increased is her enthusiasm and commitment towards her work and towards Fair Trade.
Ritesh : Creative Design Translator
Ritesh Karare is an ambitious young boy, who comes from a small village. He holds a Bachelor degree in Science and is about to achieve Master’s degree too. Ritesh emphasizes that from the very beginning, he had an inclination to work for a good cause. “My family is not a very affluent one and we have faced a lot of economic challenges in life. This motivated me to work for others who are also struggling with the same challenges in life as I have”, Ritesh shares with the team. With this aim in mind, he decided to join SETU. This way, he is not only persuing his dream job but is also able to support himself financially and complete his studies for the Master’s degree. According to Ritesh, Fair trade is a way to help and support the disadvantaged section of society in a dignified manner keeping their self-respect intact. It is also a way to promote global economy while being responsible and Eco conscious at the same time.
Quality Control Inspectors and Shipping Associates:
SETU employs a team of local women who are deprived and have had to face some harsh realities of life. These include orphans, widows, poverty-stricken, abused, and like women. They are very talented in stitching and basic local embroideries. With training, they have transformed into excellent Quality Control Inspectors and Shipping Associates. They are very thankful to the concept of Fair Trade and believe that SETU has made a remarkable transformation in their lives. Usha, Rani, Neelam, Neha, Rizwana, Raj Kanwar and Kalpana are happy that they are working for a good cause, and like them, people of other disadvantaged communities are also getting benefited. This is the first time when they feel that they are working under safe environment and have never come across any kind of abusive behavior. They are much more confident now and have gained a new respect amongst their families and society. They are now able to send their children to school and raise their families respectfully. They are very proud of their all-women team and they feel they are ready to face any challenge that comes their way now.
“I don’t feel I am an orphan anymore. I have found a family and a respectable identity at SETU”, says Pooja, “I am no more dependent on my husband. I can take care of my children and give them a decent living environment. Fair Trade can help a lot more women like me”, says Rani.
U.S. Team : Austin TX, USA
Manish Gupta : Sales & Business Development
Manish Gupta has a professional background in engineering and operations. He graduated from IIT, Mumbai, one of the most prestigious Engineering institution in India. He has extensive work experience as a plant manager for a chemical industry company and Operations Manager for Dell in Austin, Texas. Before working at Dell, Manish earned his Masters in Operations Management from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and is a fellow of the Tauber Institute for Global Operations. Though he found his professional life enriched by these experiences, he felt this lifestyle kept him distant from his vision of leveraging commerce to uplift the underprivileged people of the world.
While he was working at Dell, Manish came across the concept of Fair Trade. He was inspired with the conscious application of trade to facilitate development and progress, and took some time off to travel within rural India. He met a number of artisans and realized that they needed help. He comments: “There is so much sadness in those hands that create such beautiful things.” Not only were these people suffering, but a number of traditional art forms were fading away. He realized he could use his skills and opportunities to create a difference in their lives, and at the same time create a fulfilling path for him. That is when he visualized a company with the mission of empowering underprivileged people in the world by reinforcing local economies through just and responsible practices. That is when he decided to join hands with SETU, an organization with the mission of empowering underprivileged people in the world by acting as a bridge between Artisans and the global market.
He leads the Marketing operations and is in charge of the overall business development.
“This has been an enjoyable journey”, he says smiling. He has had the opportunity to work with a number of great people in this industry, learning something from each one of them. “We are making a difference in lives of artisans everyday and, at the same time, engaging more and more people in this movement of social responsibility” he tells the rest of the team, “but we still have a lot more to do!” Indeed, he has set a great goal for SETU: to make Fair Trade a mainstream and sustainable business model. He is coming closer to this goal with the help of an exceptional team of professionals. Manish also serves on the board of directors for the Fair Trade Federation.
Ruchi Agarwal : Design & Product Development
Ruchi is an award-winning graduate from the “National Institute of Fashion Technology”, Hauz Khas, Delhi. Before joining SETU, she worked for labels like Zara, Guru, Mango and Ritu Beri.
Born and brought up in India, Ruchi has closely worked with various art styles and traditional crafts from different regions of India. While studying these crafts, she learned about Fair Trade and how it could help a great number of people achieve economic sustainability. She is now in-charge of design and product development of SETU US office, creating products aligned with the trends of the North American market, yet rich with traditional art.
“I really love and appreciate SETU’s commitment towards quality, art and sustainability”, Ruchi shares with the team. Keeping art and tradition alive are principles close to her heart, and SETU helps her support this cause. At the same time, she is able to help artisans bring their art into the modern world by designing functional products.
Patricia Haber
Designer
From a very young age Patricia Haber excelled in art, photography, and painting and knew that art and design were her passion. At 18, she attended Otis School of Art in Design in Los Angeles. After earning her degree in Design, she remained in Los Angeles for a decade, working as a head fashion designer.
Renee McCharen
Sales Manager
A native Texan, Renee got her degree at UT Austin in Sociology. After living in LA for over five years, she recently returned to Austin with her husband. Renee has six years experience in sales and sales management, working in the wholesale and retail sectors, as well as for a non-profit organization. Renee has long been personally supportive of Fair Trade and is excited about the opportunity to work with the U.S. team. “I gain satisfaction in knowing that each day my work contributes to positively impacting the lives of artisans across India. Plus, I get to promote and sell beautiful, handmade products every day,” Renee stated. She enjoys being outdoors, and is always working on a project–whether knitting, sewing, upholstery, gardening or journal-making. She also has an appreciation for other cultures and a love of travel.
Alison Hanson
Sales Associate
Alison was raised in Northern California and recently moved to Austin from Los Angeles. She completed her undergraduate education at UCLA with a B.A. in Business Economics and minors in Anthropology and Global Studies. With previous experience in the nonprofit industry, she is looking forward to a new opportunity with a Fair Trade-based social business. A self-proclaimed feminist, Alison is passionate about international development and is eager to gain real-world experience working toward economic sustainability and social empowerment, particularly for women. Her interest in international and cultural issues stem from her travels abroad, including six months of coursework in the Netherlands. Alison hopes to spread awareness about Fair Trade and the direct and positive impact it has on communities abroad.
Mark Ostroth : Operations, IT & Webmaster
Mark Ostroth is a business administration graduate from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. At Michigan, he received a liberal education in economics, history, and psychology. He learned about the potential technology has to bring about development, creating social & economic change. He decided to work in manufacturing and logistics to gain hands on experience of working with others to solve pressing issues facing businesses with countless stakeholders.
Mark’s time with SETU has been rewarding and he is grateful to be working with such a talented and positive team. “I love the opportunity I have to make the world a better, fairer place”, Mark mentions. He is motivated by the mission and the sense of camaraderie at this company. Mark is in charge of logistics, support and technology at our U.S. office. “I hope to leverage today’s technology to create opportunities for people who are most distant and in most need of this technology’s benefits” he ends.
Matt Mogyorodi : Customer Support Manager
Matt was born in Hungary and lived there several years before moving to the United States with his family. They moved to Houston when he was a kid, where he grew up before coming to Austin to pursue a university degree. He graduated from the University of Texas in 2006 with a degree in economics.
When asked why he decided to work in a Fair Trade company, Matt mentions: “Because it’s fair”. He then adds that he really likes his current job because of the “wonderful team and pleasant work hours”.
Matt, though at times very quiet, is full of curiosities. His favorite animal is the elusive meerkat. He is into feminism and wants to learn more about it. He was also struck by lightning when he was 15 years old in Hungary, on a rainy summer morning.
Tyler Pendergrass : Shipping Associate
Born in Austin, Texas, Tyler is the only native Austinite at our U.S. office. When he was young, he moved right outside of Austin to Lockhart, Texas, where he helped his parents run a convenience store. As he became an adult, he started running the store by himself.
Tyler decided to move back to Austin in 2008, where he eventually became part of the U.S. team. He is in charge of all of our shipping and is very happy to contribute towards the fair trade cause. He says he has developed an appreciation for handmade crafts and for sustainable products.
