“Working with suppliers and manufacturers owned and run by women!”
Saafins
My experience of working with suppliers and firms in Bangladesh has been a learning curve from 2012. When I first boarded the plane from the UK to Dhaka I did not know what was waiting for me on the other side, but my experience has led me to many wonderful people and their businesses despite the uphill struggle on my journey.
Nasrin Milla is a young woman who I met in my search for fabrics in 2013, she came to our offices to showcase fabrics for a company she worked for. Nasrin gave me a very detailed presentation of the collections, after Nasrin impressed me she made her first sale with Saafins.
I have learned a lot about Nasrin after many discussions around her career and the industry. Much to my amazement what struck me most was Nasrins ambitions of owning a Diversified Jute Manufacturing Unit. I have shared my experience and tried to do the best I can in giving Nasdrin an insisite in the corporate world and the running of a business.
In 2020 Nasrin called me and asked if I would work with her if she opened a plant. I jumped up in excitement and said of course yes we will love to work with you. Nasrin finally decided to use her fathers land in Barishal to build a production plant. She decided to specialise in manufacturing Jute products such as bags and yarns. When I received my first batch of samples I was amazed at the work and effort she has put into design and quality. I encouraged all Saafins buyers to look at Nasrin’s products for their retail outlets. During the pandemic Saafins worked on a project where the customer required ozone friendly bags for their shoppers as a first choice we recommended Nasrin and her production unit. As expected our customer loved the samples Nasrin made for them and now they have a relationship with a very talented and upcoming young woman in Bangladesh.
by Shahbir Din Operations Manager, Saafins