It all began with Rs.500!
What started as an effort to help craftsmen in villages around Jaipur and revive the art of blue pottery, led to a thriving company specialising in this craft, and one that earns 50% of its revenues from buyers overseas.
Shivani Kapoor | March 2016 Issue | The Dollar Business
Leela Bordia, Founder, Neerja InternationalVibrant, loving, down-to-earth and a die-hard craft lover – that is what Leela Bordia is all about. Founder of Neerja International, a well acclaimed leader and the largest manufacturer and exporter of blue pottery, Leela has used her vision and entrepreneurial zeal all through these years to stimulate growth and take Neerja International to where it finds itself today. Talk to her and you would notice her love for this intricate craft. Ask her what made her delve into this business and blue pottery specifically and she is ready with the answer. “It’s not me who chose blue pottery; it is blue pottery that chose me,” she laughs.
One can see her passion in the cause behind starting Neerja International. The resurrection of the dying craft form commenced in 1978, during Leela’s social welfare activities in the villages in and around Jaipur, where she was fascinated by the creations of the craftsmen but was appalled by their living conditions. She decided to market their handcrafted products and Neerja International was born. Today, Neerja International manufactures and exports blue pottery items to America, Germany and Europe with exports being the thrust of the business.
TDB: What motivated you to start this venture?
Leela Bordia (LB): As a child, I had seen my mother engaged in social welfare activities. I was so influenced by my mother that I too wanted to help the needy. I used to see the farmers engaged in the pottery making in their homes during their free time. I thought that if this art could be marketed well, the standard of living of these villagers could be improved. With an initial investment of Rs.500 and four craftsmen, I established Neerja International in 1980. As the business continued to grow, I completed a course in ceramics and pottery from Mexico to add value to our products. Since then, there has been no looking back.
TDB: How are Neerja's products different from others?
LB: We have created over 300 products in innumerable innovative designs. For the first time in India, we created ceramic jewellery. Whenever we design something, we keep in mind its utility factor. That’s the uniqueness.
TDB: What percentage of Neerja's annual revenues comes from exports? And from which countries?
LB: Exports make up almost 50% of our business. And after we established our online presence, the export orders have scaled up. Maximum demand for our products come from America and Germany. 
TDB: What kind of hurdles do you face in the business?
LB: The government should find out why the smaller units are closing down. The government allows import of cheaper raw materials from other countries and thus domestic raw materials are losing their competitiveness. It is a big hurdle for manufacturers and exporters, as we no longer have much price advantage in both domestic and international markets.
to success.