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Where it all started

It all began with two passionate friends

It all began with two passionate friends — urban professionals in their 50s who had spent decades building careers in design, business, and social impact. Despite their success, they felt a shared longing for something more grounded — something that connected people, tradition, and nature. What they sought wasn’t just a venture, but a legacy with heart.

Handmade With Love

Their journey led them to Mullur, a quiet tribal village on the edge of the Bandipur Forest in Karnataka’s Mysore district. There, they discovered a long-silent ceramic workshop — a once-thriving unit established years ago by a ceramic dreamer, a man with vision and artistry who had built the space with care, but whose dream had quietly faded. The kilns were cold, the wheels still, and the community once uplifted by it had lost its anchor.

But in that quiet factory, the two friends saw a spark. They acquired the unit — not just as buyers, but as stewards of an unfinished dream.

Thus began Nugu Handmade — a revival not just of pottery, but of hope.But it wasn’t easy. The duo understood that reviving a factory wasn’t enough; it was the people who mattered most. So, they set out on a journey of capacity building — working hand-in-hand with the local tribal community, who had deep cultural ties to the land but limited access to structured artisanal training.Through months of workshops, mentorship programs, and hands-on collaboration with master ceramicists, the tribal artisans began to rediscover and sharpen their skills. What started as curiosity soon became craft.

This is Nugu Handmade

A Story of Clay, Care, and Courage.

Where every plate is a promise.

Where every artisan is a storyteller.
Where a legacy is being shaped, one handmade piece at a time.

From forming the perfect clay mix to mastering the fire of the kiln, they grew into some of the most skilled ceramic artisans in the region — each one now a proud creator of pieces that travel cross the country and beyond.

Each Nugu Handmade piece reflects not only skilled craftsmanship but also the quiet beauty of nature. The dinnerware is finished in subtle, earthy tones — inspired by river mud, forest bark, stone, ash, and the fading hues of dusk over the hills. These natural glazes aren’t loud — they whisper elegance. They are designed to complement your food, not compete with it, offering a calm, grounding presence on your table.
All products are food-safe, microwave safe, dishwasher and freezer friendly, and made using environmentally responsible processes and materials.
Nugu Handmade is more than just a dinnerware label — it’s a living, breathing collaboration between urban passion and indigenous tradition. It honors the ceramic dreamer who built the space, and the community that brings it to life every day. It is about preserving the forest's rhythm, restoring livelihoods, and reshaping what meaningful entrepreneurship can look like.