Crayon Project Update #4

Hey Everyone,

Here's an update on the project!

We have been working with the new colors and now have 10 recipes set including the original 6. However we also have two more that are getting close. We're in the midst of making a new batch of orange pigment because we believe that may be the problem and we're also looking into a way to make red as that is the one color that is definitely missing right now. We have begun to work on the pastels as well but are running into a couple glitches. We're going to focus on the business model for the crayons since we have a product to work with and have some people here who can give us a better idea of the market in India.

I have confirmed a time to meet with two of the schools in Delhi. Maybe we'll alos be able to meet some distributors as well. She had mentioned that it might be possible for us to meet with the packaging designer as well. We have also been making plans for Ahmedabad where Nathan will be working in a lab to do toxicity tests on the crayons and pigments. They say it should take a week to do the test and then if there's extra time, there are plenty of other tests we'd like to run or there's also the possibility of making connections with schools and distributors or retailers in Ahmedabad. I was talking to a couple Indian interns recently and they are very excited about the idea of the crayons and think they will do very well especially because there are no other crayons that are made in India let alone organic ones.

The mold machine is supposed to arrive any day now. Nathan and Elliot have left for a short visit to a field center and will be back to test the machine as soon as it gets here.

Hopefully a photo update coming soon!

Crayon Project Update #3

I'm currently back at Avani, an NGO in the Himalayas in Uttarakhand, India.  I'm here for about 6 weeks to continue a project I started in January.  I thought I would post some updates on the product development so far!  

Here's an update from this past week.  We have made a lot of progress in the past week!  Not only did we try 4 recipes with 6 colors last week but we found out that the colors react differently with different recipes so we'll be tailoring them for each color.  For now we have 6 colors we are happy with and are trying to work on the orange.  For some reason it is being more finicky than the other colors and isn't even working well with our recipe from January.  We also got to do some kid testing of the crayons at the school.  You can see the photos below!  :)  Yesterday we began with the pastel recipes and will see how far we can get with those in the next two weeks.

We also made a small sample of crayon mixture for Elliot to bring to Delhi to test with the metal mold.  Unfortunately the mold wasn't the right size or dimensions so he wasn't able to bring it back but he picked up enough of one of the materials to make about 500 crayon sets.  We will order the second material soon.

We have also put up a few posts on the Avani Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=449092691791183&set=a.449092685124517.105826.209775252389596&type=1&relevant_count=1

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.449183425115443.105848.209775252389596&type=1

Enjoy!

Crayon Project Update #2

Hey Everyone,

This week we have been continuing to work with the new materials and believe we understand how each affects the recipe.  Today we tried 12 and they look very promising.  We have to wait till tomorrow to confirm if they are good but we think we are close!

After calling and emailing the schools in Delhi again, I have heard back from two of them, which is great!  I will email to confirm a time to meet when we're back in Delhi and we should have a product to show them!  We haven't been looking into all the certifications this week because we've been busy with tests but will continue to look into them this week. 

Elliot has been working with one other intern here to see if we can get a crayon making machine.  For now we're using the latex molds from MIT to just make the samples and may revert back to the January method to make the samples for the school.

Kristin

Crayon Project Update #1

Hey Everyone,

I have been helping out in the dye room but also working on research of materials with Nathan.  We ordered some new materials from Delhi and they just came in a couple days ago.  We are planning to spend another day working with them to see if we can get something better than our original recipe.  If not, we will move on to pastels and the other product lines.  We have been trying new materials with not much success but the new materials are showing considerably different results, which is very exciting. 

When Rashmi came back last week, I met with her again to get contact info for the schools in Delhi that we are going to try to visit on our way to Ahmedabad.  I have emailed them and am waiting for a reply.  We also discussed new materials to try as well.  I had a chance to show her a video of the crayola crayon making process with the industrial level machines.  She was very interested in their process.  We talked about certification (U.S., Europe, and India) and have determined that we should definitely follow up with at least one of them. 

As for the molds, the ones with different laminates between the layers are still separating after only a few uses.  I have been working with Elliot to see if we can figure out why.  The two of us also met with Rashmi to see if she is interested in pursuing custom made metal molds.  Elliot found out that the latex may only last 40-60 uses anyways which is not a great long term solution.  We are going to try to do some more brainstorming but are also working on getting quotes for the custom molds and finalizing the shape for them.  

Till next week!

Kristin

July 4th in India!

Photos!

In Ahmedabad

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Day 4:

Day 5:

Waste Carts and Home Businesses

Hey Everyone,


I can't believe we just finished our 5th day.  But first, a recap of yesterday.  We brainstormed ideas for the waste cart project and then headed to ICP for lunch.  We brought some back for a couple people who were still in the room and then headed back out to ICP to work with Roger on brainstorming ideas for the head loaders.  Head loaders carry huge loads on their heads up and down the stairs multiple times a day.  These loads can weigh from 30-70kg. Carrying such heavy loads causes them pain so Roger is looking into solutions that will spread the weight of the load to other parts of their body.


Today, we went to ICP to discuss observation strategies and documentation.  We then had a meeting with more people at SEWA Union to learn from some of the tobacco workers and a former lawyer's perspective as well.  After that meeting, they took us on a field visit to see more than 10 home businesses!  It was really interesting and the communities we visited today were much different than the ones we have walked through previously. 


The first community was mostly Muslim and different areas had different trades.  First we walked through an area where everyone was making incense sticks.  Then met some women who were cutting leaves and rolling tobacco.  Only older women do this because it is difficult to roll properly.  The last home we visited had fabric that they were beading.  It was beautiful and intricate work.  They apparently by the designs for a large sum and can usually sell it for 6 months to a year.  However, if someone steals their design, they can only sell if for around 10 days. 


We walked down the street and also came across a family making handbags, one man was making sweets, while another woman was taking apart old jeans and making new ones.  The unusable scraps she used for fuel.  The SEWA women also introduced us to a family that takes old saris, washes and irons them and charges 3.5 Rs per sari. 


We then headed by auto to see a street where there were a lot of head loaders and on our way out also talked to the wastepickers.  It was interesting to see the staircase of one of the buildings even though it was under construction.  The interesting challenge was that the technology that Roger is trying to design for the head loaders is focused more in improving their health rather than their wages because their current job already pays well enough.


After our field visits, we were exhausted and hungry so we headed back to ICP for a late lunch which was delicious.  Nathan, Gopal, and I debriefed the field visits and then Nathan and I headed back to our hotel.


In terms of details of what we saw, I will hopefully be posting some photos in the next entries.