About Us

গ্রামীণ সামগ্রী

• স্থানীয় এবং আন্তর্জাতিক উভয় বাজারে তাঁত শিল্পের প্রচার ও প্রসার করা।
• সুতা এবং রং কাঁচামাল হিসেবে মূলধন সরবরাহ করা।
• নিবিড় তদারকীর মাধ্যমে কাপড়ের গুণগত মান ও স্ট্যার্ন্ডাড নিশ্চিত করা।
• দেশে এবং বিদেশে বাজারজাতকরণের প্রয়োজনীয় সার্ভিস প্রদান করা।
• বাংলাদেশ এবং বিদেশে অন্যান্য ব্যক্তি, সংস্থা এবং সমাজের সাথে যৌথ সহযোগীতায় ব্যবসা ও শিল্প স্থাপন বজায় রাখা।
• দরিদ্রদের জীবনযাত্রার মান উন্নয়নের জন্য উৎপাদনশীল কর্মসংস্থানের সুযোগ সৃষ্টির লক্ষ্যে প্রচার, সহায়তা, নির্দেশিকা,       সংগঠিত, পরিকল্পনা, বিকাশ এবং সমন্বয় করা।

• ১০০% সুতি
• সরাসরি রংকৃত সুতা
• AZO মুক্ত
• পাকা রং

Grameen Shamogree

Background:

Grameen Shamogree (Bangla : rural products) was established by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus on January 15, 1996 as a nonprofit Organization incorporated under section 28 of the Companies Act 1994.. to rejuvenate the handloom textile industry, and support the weavers ensuring they do not deviate from their ancestral occupation. Grameen Check is the brand through which Grameen Shamogree markets its products at home and abroad

Mission

In keeping with the spirit of poverty alleviation and the need to accelerate the pace of our country’s development efforts, Grameen Shamogree's mission is to promote and expand the handloom industry to both local and International market. 

Objectives:

• Promoting and expanding the handloom industry to both local and international markets;
• Supply working capitals in the form of raw materials such as yarn and dyes;
• Developing and procuring new designs ensuring quality and standardization Fabrics through supervision;
• Provide marketing services home and abroad;
• Establish and maintain business and industries in joint collaboration with other people, organizations, bodies and societies in Bangladesh and abroad;
• To Promote, aid, guide, organize, plan, develop and co-ordinate projects/schemes aimed at all round development creating productive employment opportunities for improvement in the quality of lives of the poor; 

Grameen Check

The handloom textiles of Bangladesh have been known for their excellence for hundreds of years. Grameen Check is a 100% cotton, Yarn-dyed, line of checked fabrics made by rural poor handloom weavers in Bangladesh. Grameen Check fabrics are available in a multitude of colors, patterns and thread-counts. Buyers may choose from fifteen signature checks and plaids or customize their own fabric. Grameen Check can be produced in any combination of color, thread count, design and construction, according to buyers’ specifications. Already, 2550 design samples have been produced for fashion conscious buyers worldwide. To date, Grameen Check Fabrics has exported more than 15 million yards to Europe and the United States.

Grameen Check is custom made fabric. The color, the thread count, the design and construction of the fabric vary according to specification and preferences of the buyers. The fabric has already been laboratory tested and considered to be color fast with a shrinkage limit of only 3 to 5 percent.

Timely delivery is ensured and fabric can be supplied against firm L/Cs within 50-60 days. Upon request, Grameen Shamogree will be more than happy to start partial delivery after 35-40 days. Grameen Check are now available in dazzling combination of colors. The hand-woven checks are light and comfortable to wear. They are ideal for spring and summer wear for men, women and children. In addition, to lighter check fabrics for spring and summer wear, Grameen Shamogree also produces flannel (both yarn-dyed and printed) for winter wear and dobby for home.

Grameen Check fabrics are:

• Produced by handlooms
• 100% Cotton
• Yarn-dyed
• AZO free
• Color fast

Professor Muhammad Yunus on Grameen Check:

“Grameen had neither any intention nor any qualification to get involved in the garment industry of Bangladesh. But somehow we got drawn into it. There are over a million weavers in Bangladesh with approximately half a million handlooms in their possession. Over eighty per cent of textile requirement in Bangladesh are met by these weavers through handloom production. One will tend to imagine that the weavers are having good business from this captive market. They are not. Since most Bangladeshis are very poor they cannot afford to buy clothes as often as you'll imagine. Unless a piece of clothing becomes absolutely unusable one does not buy another piece of dress.

Many of the weavers are Grameen borrowers. We see how difficult their lives are because of very low demand and stiff competition from machine-made clothes. Many of the weavers remain without work during slack season.

In the early 1990s we came to know that Bangladesh imports a handloom product called "Madras Check" valued at US $ 80 million for Bangladeshi garment industry to make garments for North American and EU countries. We could not figure out why Bangladesh imports such huge quantities of handloom fabric while our weavers remain half-starved part of the year. One explanation we got was that our weavers cannot produce the quality that is demanded by the international market. We wanted to find it out. We produced samples and circulated than around. Everybody agreed that the samples were as good or even better than the imported fabric.

Then we got another explanation why this cannot be procured from the local weavers because "they are not organized; we cannot go door to door to each weaver to buy hundreds of thousands of yards we need; now we place orders to Indian suppliers and they supply whatever quantity we need, right on time". We said Grameen Shamogree can play the role of the supplier. We can accept orders and remain responsible for quality and delivery date.

We started receiving orders. We named our product "Grameen Check". We organized some weavers to do the job. These weavers never had worked for the international market. Everybody in the villages was thrilled to know that the fabric their village was making will be worn by the Americans and the Europeans. The weavers took it as a great appreciation of their work. They worked hard to make sure users like it.

Now business is picking up. The more we deliver, the more the garment industry takes us seriously. This can grow into a billion dollar business --- developed around home-based weavers. We can supply "Grameen Check" to garment industry anywhere in the world --- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, Viet-Nam, or anywhere else. We are inviting consumers and producers everywhere to try us. Please make room for social-consciousness-driven entrepreneurs in the world economy."

Grameen check and its fashion have become widely known within and outside the country, and the Grameen Check become one of the success stories of micro-financing and how it creates a people-based local industry.”

Social Business Initiatives:

Grameen Shamogree has been a steadfast supporter and promoter of Social Business initiatives, Since its inception. It has enabled the impoverished weavers to create their own businesses.

ACTIVITIES:

• Grameen Check Sales Center:

Grameen Shamogree, in keeping with the spirit of its establishment, has professionally organized all its activities to successfully operate 21 display cum sales centers for marketing various garments for children, men and women being produced by Grameen Shamogree’s design and production center, products of hand loom weavers with the brand name “Grameen Check”, various handicrafts which are representatives of Bangladesh’s own culture, heritage and skills. The sales centers of Grameen Shamogree are envisaged to be organized into full-fledged departmental selling outlets of international standard which will sell all the products that Bangladesh produces and exports in the international market.

• Joint Venture Partnership Business:

To create new entrepreneurs from all around the Bangladesh, Grameen Shamogree has taken a joint venture initiative to provide the young entrepreneurs with the opportunity to collaborate with Grameen Shamogree & establish themselves as entrepreneurs. In this partnership, the partner will the care of sales center advance with decoration cost & monthly rent. The rest of the costs associated such as products, utility, human resources etc will be borne by Grameen Shamogree. The partners will receive certain commission on their sales. Thus, we will be able to create new entrepreneurs & thus job opportunities which will create a good impact in the socio-economic situation of our country.

Social Impact:

• Creating job opportunities for the weavers throughout the year.
• Improving the standard of living of those weavers and their family members in various
• Producing environment-friendly and hygienic clothing products by using Grameen Check fabrics.
• Creating job opportunities for the small entrepreneurs who produce clothing products.
• Distributing these clothing products to every people at low cost and low price.

Contributions to the society:

• Grameen Shaamogree Provides Scholarships to children of affiliated weaver’s family.
• Grameen Shamogree also provides healthcare services to various family members of the affiliated weavers.
• An annual Get Together ( Milan Mela ) is held every year with every member of the affiliated weavers.
• Many schools around Bangladesh uses Grameen Check Fabrics for their school dresses
• These fabrics are supplied to the schools at production price
• Grameen Check products have been distributed several times as donations to help the people affected by the floods and cyclones
• During the Covid 19 pandemic, Grameen Shamogree provided food to the financially insolvent weavers.
• Non-medical Masks distributed as free to beggars, disabled, street children, rickshaw pullers, van drivers, unemployed working people, disabled, widows, day laborer, security guard and elderly men and women during Covid 19 pandemic.

Post Cyclone Sidr Relief

Cyclone Sidr was a devastating cyclone in the Bay of Bengal that resulted into one of the worst natural disasters in Bangladesh. Sidr hit Bangladesh on November 15, 2007, resulting in massive loss of life and property. More than 3,000 people lost their lives and hundreds of thousands were evacuated. In the aftermath of the cyclone’s devastation, Grameen Shamogree came forward to provide relief to the victims. In two tranches Grameen Shamogree distributed clothing valued at nearly three million Taka to the victims who had lost everything in Patuakhali and Pirojpur districts.

In conclusion, Grameen Shamogree stands as a shining example of how social entrepreneurship, micro-financing, and community empowerment can catalyze positive change on multiple fronts. Founded by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Shamogree's journey began with a steadfast commitment to revitalize the handloom textile industry while uplifting impoverished weavers from Bangladesh. This nonprofit organization, established under the Companies Act 1994, has evolved into a force for economic and social transformation.

At its core, Grameen Shamogree's mission revolves around promoting and expanding the handloom industry both locally and internationally. The establishment of the brand "Grameen Check" marked a pivotal moment in this journey. With a focus on 100% cotton yarn-dyed fabrics, Grameen Check became a testament to the skills of rural handloom weavers. These fabrics, available in an array of colors, patterns, and thread counts, have not only contributed to the weavers' economic sustenance but also to their recognition on the global stage.

Professor Muhammad Yunus's visionary approach led Grameen Shamogree to bridge the gap between local artisans and the international fashion market. Through dedicated efforts, Grameen Check has garnered recognition and respect for its quality, craftsmanship, and commitment to sustainable practices. The organization's impact extends beyond economic empowerment, as it addresses broader social issues. By providing scholarships, healthcare services, and relief during crises, Grameen Shamogree demonstrates its dedication to holistic well-being.

Grameen Shamogree's engagement in social business initiatives further exemplifies its commitment to community development. The organization's focus on creating new entrepreneurs, fostering job opportunities, and promoting Bangladeshi culture showcases its multifaceted approach to uplifting society.

Notably, Grameen Shamogree's response to natural disasters like Cyclone Sidr underscores its role as a compassionate and responsive entity. By distributing clothing to victims and providing aid during times of crisis, the organization showcases the true essence of its mission—supporting the most vulnerable in society.

In essence, Grameen Shamogree's journey encompasses empowerment, resilience, and social transformation. Its impact extends beyond economic growth, delving into the realms of education, healthcare, and disaster relief. This social business entity stands as a testament to the transformative potential of combining entrepreneurship with social consciousness, offering a model that echoes far beyond its borders. Through its commitment to handloom weavers, innovative business models, and humanitarian efforts, Grameen Shamogree has woven a tapestry of change that reflects the power of community-driven initiatives.