Strengthening Social Enterprise Economic Resilience through Development Support: Prasanna Mee Kiri
A 4-part blog series about the aspirations of early-stage start-ups and their journey with the HackaDev Economic Resilience Coaching Programme authored by Ms Kithmini Nissanka and Ms Michali Martyn of Citra Social Innovation Lab.
The recent economic crisis in Sri Lanka took a heavy toll on the SME sector, once again placing many enterprises that had just begun to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in a familiar, vulnerable position. In light of the socio-economic context brought about by the crisis, the HackaDev Economic Resilience Coaching Programme (ERCP) was initiated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka to offer supportive measures to early-stage start-ups at this critical juncture and equip them with the tools and skills to achieve economic resilience. The programme provides comprehensive development support through mentorship, incubation, and financial assistance for start-ups to effectively respond to challenges, counter the impact felt by the crisis and upend the status quo through transformative adaptation.
Following a selection process, eight enterprises who were selected for the programme thus began their 6-month-long incubation journey. Fast-forward to today, these eight groups, who through hard work and dedication, have come a long way and emerged as successful registered businesses.
This is the story of ‘Prasanna Mee Kiri’ and its journey with the HackaDev Economic Resilience Coaching Programme.
Prasanna Mee Kiri is a home-based curd manufacturing start-up inspired by the 2018 Technopreneurship for Social Change programme. Once the crisis hit, the founder- Prasanna, sought external support to keep his business running. Soon after being selected for the programme, he began receiving the necessary guidance and tools to take his venture forward.
Prasanna Mee Kiri offers an organic, chemical-free product made entirely with pure buffalo milk and no artificial preservatives or water, a unique selling point for the business. However, despite possessing this unique business identity, he found it difficult to meet daily targets and produce the required amount of curd pots to profit from the business. Upon joining the programme, he used the financial resources and technical guidance to add two more buffalos to a previous herd of 7, which helped to increase the number of pots of curd produced daily from 12–15 pots to 40–45 pots a day. Additionally, with the increase in purchasing quantities of raw milk from local suppliers, production numbers were further heightened.
Prasanna takes equal measures to ensure his product meets health standards and is careful about the quality of grass fed to the livestock, making sure only a specific type of grass with higher nutritional value is used. The grass is shredded using advanced technology and later distributed among the herd using smart feeding strategies. By using this strategy, Prasanna is able to control the quantity of grass fed to a buffalo to ensure each animal gets the required amount of nourishment for a day. He also maintains a zero-waste policy at the farm and channels all waste from the hut to nearby paddy fields as compost through an efficient waste management system, ensuring proper waste disposal which contributes to the development of the surrounding eco-system.
This budding enterprise has in many ways also supported the local community and contributed to its well-being by creating job opportunities for locals in the area. All these factors have helped Prasanna to build a sustainable business and a strong brand identity, thus placing his enterprise among the top competitors in the local market.
