Shaktipreneur in Spotlight: Sonam Sodha (Co-founder, Himalayan Hemp)

“Disposable sanitary napkins produce 7200 tons of plastic waste in India every year. Eco-conscious alternatives like reusable cannabis hemp sanitary pads and N95 masks can be a game-changer to reduce pollution, ” says Sonam Sodha, Shaktipreneur in Spotlight and Co-Founder of Himalayan Hemp. 

Himalayan Hemp is a social-ecological enterprise focused on creating a holistic community around indigenous cannabis hemp.

The inspiration behind Himalayan Hemp

Sonam worked as an HR manager in an interior designing firm and as a passionate dance choreographer as a side hustle before she met with an accident. 

The unfortunate accident made her quit her job and she lost the inclination to join the corporate sector again.

She connected with an organization founded by Viki Varoura, a part of the great legalization Movement(India). Here, she learned the medicinal and industrial potential of cannabis and hemp plants. 

“50,000 plus products like medicine, paper, and bio-plastic can be made from this amazing plant. It can bring environmental and economic changes globally,” Sodha says.

Sonam decided to work on developing something out of the plant despite the taboo connected to it. 

While trekking in the Himalayas, she experienced great difficulty disposing of sanitary pads, and also suffered from skin irritation.

She found that local women suffered the same issue and had to burn or discard the pads in landfills.

“That was when I came up with the idea of making hemp-based reusable sanitary pads as cannabis hemp fiber has all the essential properties to create a safe and hygienic product, ” she says.

The pads get stitched by women or local artisans. Sonam’s co-founder Haneesh Katnawer supported the idea and developed the prototype with the help of textile experts.

The idea behind the name

“My vision is to bring justice to the taboo plant, spread more awareness, and holistically preserve the Himalayan variety of cannabis and hemp, and we named our community Himalayan Hemp,” she explains.

Work done by the organization

Himalayan hemp is engaged in making eco-conscious products. 

“Our flagship product -lab-tested cannabis hemp sanitary napkins which strive to provide a better alternative to menstruating women,” she says.

Apart from women and local artisans who do the stitching and get paid, farmers get benefitted as the organization purchases raw materials from them.

Impact of your organization     

Himalayan Hemp aims to address three problems- poor menstrual hygiene and awareness, lack of alternate cash crops for farmers, and reducing carbon and plastic footprint from this world with impact in textile, healthcare and construction.

Recently, Himalayan Hemp was shortlisted as one of the startups to participate in the ASEAN India startup festival 2022, held in Jakarta – Indonesia, hosted before the G-20 summit. 

“It was amazing to witness the genuine interest of people in learning about our products. I am glad we succeeded in creating awareness about the hemp plant,” she adds.

Future plans

Himalayan Hemp wants to develop a hemp-based community of farmers, artisans, and marginalized communities by preserving indigenous cannabis and hemp plants and developing eco-conscious, hemp-based products.

They are working on the concept of a “hemp family”, where men can cultivate the hemp crop and construct hemp huts while women of the family can stitch sanitary pads, masks, and other traditional products. 

“This will help utilize the skills of the entire family unit and generate income,” she says.

Advice to women entrepreneurs 

“For women in India, it is always difficult to start something new, but I am privileged that my parents supported me totally,” she says.

Sonam advises entrepreneurs to create a strong base for their startups through proper research at the grass-roots level and building a good team. 

“Take the advice of mentors whenever you feel stuck, and don’t hesitate to ask questions, ” she adds.

Journey as a Shaktipreneur

Sonam believes that incubation programs help build confidence in entrepreneurs and prepare them for challenges. 

“Joining STEP helped me hone my business skills like maintaining finances and raising funds,” she says.

Sonam believes STEP’s Hindi program is its highlight. 

“Many women in India lack the confidence to start their journey due to the language barrier, as incubation programs are primarily in English. STEP’s Hindi program will help women overcome this hurdle, “she adds.

She asserts that STEP’s woman-centric program provides a safe, judgment-free space for open discussions.

“Apart from essential entrepreneurial skills, STEP helped me gain confidence,” she admits.” Implementing my learnings from each session at STEP has impacted me immensely in all aspects of entrepreneurship from organizational know-how, bookkeeping, and maintaining goal sheets to being empathetic,” she adds.

Her favorite Tuesday session was Storytelling which helped better her convincing prowess as an entrepreneur.

Her mentor at STEP, Bharti Joshi, guided her to solve her professional and personal issues.

“The friendships I have developed within the STEP community are bonds that will last forever,” she says.

Sonam, the person

Sonam loves to read and is a fan of the fantasy fiction genre 

She is a food lover and likes to try out the ethnic delicacies of the places she visits. She is particularly fond of home-cooked rice and dal.

Sonam loves to travel and wishes to travel to every corner of the globe.

She draws inspiration from the people she comes across. She holds a deep regard for the STEP team and her sister. 

A quote that is the Mantra of her life is, “Do not forget to live life.”