Behere’s startup, Witch Craft Innovations LLP, transforms the notorious aquatic weed into comfortable, highly aesthetic, and affordable lifestyle products, from lampshades and table mats to footwear.

“I was introduced to the potential of water hyancinth during a college project that took us to Guwahati, Assam, where the government was exploring water hyacinth crafting. We were challenged to design an intervention that could help local artisans earn more than a baseline of Rs 500 a day,” she says. She designed a cutting tool to speed up the processing of the raw material, freeing up time for artisans to focus on high-value weaving.

Then, she started conducting a market survey. “I realised that footwear had potential. Footwear is an everyday product. We could directly challenge the fast-fashion market,” she says. Returning to Pune after her studies, Behere found water hyacinth clogging the waterbodies here. She joined Jeevitnadi, a group that works for the rights of rivers, and began harvesting Pune’s water hyacinth. An onlooker might see her drying water hyacinth of riversides before Behere takes these to her workshop in Bibvewadi.

“It has a natural elasticity. If you keep it slightly moist, it bends without breaking, allowing for tight braids and intricate molds. And as the product ages, it develops a natural shine,” she says. The footwear hit the market this year and she has been approached for customised orders. The startup’s name, Witch craft, is a nod to literature and female empowerment. “Witches were the original wise women with healing powers,” says Behere.

“Water hyacinth has zero value in the water, but immense value outside it. We have only women staff. Many come from domestic spaces where their labour is often undervalued. In the studio, they become creators, artisans and makers,” she says.

The startup was fueled by a Nidhi-EIR fellowship and crucial CSR grant funding through Pune’s Venture Center incubation hub, allowing Behere to purchase looms and machinery. Behere, who has a studio-cum-store on Prabhat Road (available by appointment), now aims to increase product sales this year and scale up the design range. “If we hit that, we can harvest more hyacinth, build a larger storage facility, and establish a new craft cluster in and around Pune,” she says.