Handmade Speciality Papers Private Limited was established in 1996 for manufacture of speciality handmade papers and products. The hand paper mill is located in the small but vibrant village of Jodi Hochihalli in the coffee country of Chickmagalur. In a span of ten years the company has established itself as one of the leading manufacturers of exquisite handmade papers in the country.

The company has also ventured into exports sucessfully. The company is professionally managed with an excellent team of committed people both in the production and marketing functions. The company has a team of marketing agents in major cities to provide personalised service to the customer. The company provides rural employment to more than 40 men and 60 women in four of the smallest villages of the country.

The promoter Mr B G Seetharaman is a Mechanical Engineer from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani. After graduation he was a research scholar at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He learnt the basics of paper making as Management Trainee in Seshasayee Paper and Boards Limited, Erode - a leading integrated pulp and paper mill in the country. 

He is also exposed to principles of Quality Mannagement and ISO 9000. He started the present venture in 1996 and is leading the operations of the company since. His father Mr B S Gurumurthy is a leading Sugar Technologist of nation wide repute and has served the sugar industry in various capacities, the last 20 years being as Managing Director.

At BG plain sheets of handmade papers are embellished with a variety of designs. Mottling the sheets with flower petals, straw pieces, jute fibre…are the most common. We also provide different finishes to the paper by way of coating the sheet surface with dyed starch. Each sheet is hand coated by brush with great care to retain the grains on the surface. A little bit crushing of the sheet before coating helps in creating a leather finish. Metallic sheen is obtained by a similar process of brush coating. We specialise in the silk laid varieties where strands of silk are embedded on each sheet by an intricate process. Paper made from the bark of banana and mulberry are very delicate and carry a natural lustre. Artist's drawing boards undergo a process of surface treatment. Even without these 'special effects' a simple plain sheet of handmade paper is "a thing of beauty".

BG has also come out with a variety of products catering to the needs of corporates, designers, students…

Here are a few product ideas:

Files, Folders, Letter heads, Envelopes, Business cards, Invitations, Address books, Diaries, Calendars, Certificates, Drawing pads, Paper bags, Photo albums, Desk tops, Designer gifts, Lamp shades, Wall hangings…

Well the possibilities are extensive limited only by one's imagination.

We at BG adopt a wide range of quality assurance practices at every stage of production. Each sheet of paper coming out of our mill is inspected. But handmade paper has some inherent non-uniformities which in fact enhances the beauty and value of handmade paper. It is neither possible nor desirable to straighten out these "defects". On the contrary you'll soon start enjoying them!