"The world doesn't need another brand/product". That was the first reaction of my wife Frauke when I told her about the idea to start an Ayurveda Brand. She was right and thanks to her, I really thought long and hard about what āsmi's values are and what its raison d'être is. Ayurveda, as I understand it, means being in balance with oneself, the society we share our lives with, and the environment we live in.

Even though we are still far from reaching our goals, the last three years have given me a lot of hope that a different and sustainable way to build a business is possible. We've all been inundated with terms like sustainability and social responsibility, so I thought I'd share how we're implementing some of these principles at āsmi.

Sustainable and regional packaging
Once Dr. Sreekrishnan had formulated our Ayurvedic teas and we had found a 140-year-old tea manufacturer in Hamburg, Germany, to import the organic ingredients, it was time to work out the packaging for the teas.

I visited several packaging fairs and talked to dozens of suppliers who politely told me that it was naive to manufacture the tea cans in Germany. There is only one manufacturer of tin cans in Germany - Klann Packaging in Landshut, and it is almost twice as expensive as importing the tin cans from the Far East. After we visited Klann, it was more than obvious that they should be our partner. Not only do they make the cans from 94% recycled metal, but their quality standard is so high that we could package entirely without plastic! Even the compostable refill bags and labels are made near Bielefeld.

Social production
Once the packaging was finished, it was time to find a partner for bottling the teas. The choice was easy. Wertkreis in Gütersloh is known in the region for employing people with and without disabilities. Mr. Fortmann, who leads the team there, is excited about the collaboration because bottling the teas is a simple and safe task that can be assigned to his team. Plus, they love the smell of the spices! Since everything is packed by hand, our batches are small. This means we have less in stock, take good care of each batch, and don't feel any sales pressure. The same is true for our Ayurvedic salt. It is made by blending salt from Italy with Ayurvedic spices in the same facility.

ProWerk Bethel, another integrative facility for people with disabilities, is responsible for storing and shipping our products. There, too, we do not have a fulfillment center where stressed employees have to pick and pack the products within minutes and where they are completely under camera control. Our products are packed by hand, without time stress.

Our silk scarves, made by a women's collective in India, are a non-violent silk production combined with social employment for women from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Clean capital
Our capital should be as clean as our ingredients. After talking to several investors and VCs, it was clear to me that the slow and sustainable growth we were planning was not compatible with the fast scaling of the VC world. We would have to automate and outsource a lot of our work. That's why we finance ourselves through a loan from KfW Bank in cooperation with Volksbank Bielefeld Gütersloh. This ensures that we do not use money earned through unfair practices in non-transparent structures.

All this would not have been possible without your generous support through the purchase of our products. So this Christmas, I am very grateful to each and every one of you who spends your hard-earned money. 100% of what you spend on āsmi goes to our partners - because we take no salary for our work and fund ourselves through other professional commitments. That means you're supporting regional and sustainable businesses in Germany. In this anonymous hyperglobal world, such deeds can make a difference.

This holiday season, we would like to share 10% of our sales with "Thanal", a long established and trusted NGO in Kerala, India. It works on projects to protect the environment and reduce plastic consumption.

As melodramatic as it may sound, you confirm my belief that we as humanity have the chance to create something beautiful and sustainable. For that, I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.

Photo by Brian Garrity on Unsplash