“Anthara Crafts”, a women entrepreneurial start up venture for eco-friendly, handmade & upcycled products.
Founded by Mrs. Sithara Nair Gerdes, in the year 2012 in Pondicherry, South India.
La Flora Organics is a registered, premium brand of personal care, bath & skin care products from Anthara Crafts, passionately formulated & created by Mrs. Sithara Nair Gerdes.
Vegan, Cruelty Free, Safe, Toxin Free Products, created using Certified Organic plant based ingredients and botanicals.
Anthara – The tiny forest in the making…
That one acre of simple land that we bought & set our home (Anthara Villa) way back in 2007, currently has over 70 species of trees, the Flora and all the wonderful Fauna that it naturally invites. Most of which that I have planted over the past 13 years and nurtured to growth. Mango trees, Neem, Jackfruit, Bamboo, Teak, Cashew, Peepal, Banyan, Bel, Pomegranate, Coconut, Indian Badam and list goes on. Following the “MIYAWAKI” way of forestation to grow more tree species in a limited space where they happily share resources. Ground level is adorned by herbs like Tulsi, shrubs like Hibiscus. To watch them grow and create the green canopy in my garden, I consider the highlight of my lifetime. And it beauty reminds me everyday that its worth all the troubles & challenges such a place often throws in. It is a pleasure to share our space with squirrels, birds, butterflies and many more crawling, hopping & flying friends. This space is complete with a Natural Lotus Pond, a huge Peepal tree & a Ganesha temple, all set in the traditional Kerala way!
Anthara Crafts Office/La Flora Organics Unit is also located at the heart of this tiny forest. We couldn’t help but feel inspired by the magic of Nature, fresh herbs, flowers to bring out many amazing personal & wellness creations that are truly “Nature’s Own”!
Let’s reimpose our faith in Nature & its wonders!
Sithara Nair Gerdes
Mrs. Sithara Nair Gerdes – A Nature enthusiast, social entrepreneur, mom, social worker, counselor and a teacher. An ardent lover of crafts, she has been working with many women self help groups, NGOs and village entrepreneurs for years, supporting, training and marketing their products and creations. A member of Crafts Council of India from Pondicherry, Founder of Crafts Council of Puducherry, she has been working with local village communities and has been teaching under privileged & school drop out youth at a local community college for almost 7 years. Winner of the Emerging Entrepreneur award by 92.5 Big FM for Pondicherry in 2015 & Best Social Entrepreneur Award in 2018 at Women Power Summit, Manipal, Mangalore.