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Category: Fair Trade Connections
Fair Trade is connected to all issues: environmental, social, economic, health, spiritual…. This part of the blog explores these interconnections and attempts to help us see how actions in one area connect to and effect all others.
Artisan Earthquake Relief Fund Update: Kirtipur Weaving Group Workshop is Complete!
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Artisan Earthquake Relief Fund Update: Kirtipur Weaving Group Workshop is Complete!
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CCF is pleased to share the news that thanks to our generous donors like you, the Kirtipur Weaving Group’s earthquake resilient workshop has been built and is soon to be filled with looms, weavers and activity. The weavers of Kirtipur, near Kathmandu, had their looms in their homes before the April and May 2015 earthquakes but most of their homes were destroyed making it impossible to produce any weavings or earn needed income. CCF initially assisted them in rebuilding their homes then waited as they decided how they wanted to proceed in the future. After securing their homes and recovering a bit from the trauma of the earthquake the group determined that they wanted to have a weaving workshop where they could come together to weave.Sudha Maharjan(photo), with a masters in social work, now leads the group. Her mother Laxmi was the initial founder. Sudha remembers her mother saying to her daughters, “Wake up early and help me to weave if you want to get delicious lunch and pay your school fees”. So Sudha and her sister used to wake up at 4 am to weave before heading to school. Gradually, they started to try new techniques and affiliated themselves with a Fair Trade buyer. “We had nothing, but now we have our own homes, live a decent life by fulfilling all our wishes and provide employment opportunities to other weavers to uplift their living standard is a dream come true” adds Sudha.In the Kirtipur Weaving Group, there are 10 weavers and 10 women who warp the looms. They are very excited about their new workshop which is more spacious and has better lighting and airflow. The nearby toilet and store room are added benefits. The weavers look forward beginning to weave together in their new space after the October Dashain festival and in the future they hope to train new, younger weavers and hold workshops in this community space.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
The Conversation Starts Here
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Ganesh Himal welcomes you to our Fair Trade table…
… a table set to provide those who have been excluded a voice, a seat and an opportunity to pursue their dreams. A table set to include all of the voices that have been silenced for too long. A table set to allow a safe place for a full and dynamic conversation that encourages the richness of diversity, creativity, respect and justice for everyone. A table of profound and deep love celebrating all that we have together when we allow for equal participation.This season, we at Ganesh Himal Trading, invite you to bring people together over food and beautiful artwork created by hands that strive to build a system of economic justice. There will be frustrating conversations but enjoy these moments when we have the opportunity to educate people about the work that we do, about how a well thought out purchase can help improve lives and strengthen communities. Together, as a Fair Trade community, we can set our tables in the variety of beautiful colors that we are, celebrate the beauty of us all, and put people before profit while engaging in the richness of life.By opening up your fair trade stores to others you provide them the door to step through to find their own place at the table. You help others see how they can support and nurture and hold out the chair for others. You help the table become more robust and dynamic. You help us all to see how we can participate in creating a just economy and envision the path ahead toward setting a bountiful table for all.
May your table be full this season and thank you for all that you do to support our work in Nepal.
Namaste, Denise
PS: Don’t forget to vote and please encourage others to vote. Justice, economic opportunity and a large robust table of democracy depends on it. Those who have come before us to fight for this right, those who will come after and our beautiful planet will thank you for your participation.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Rebel with a Cause
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Rebel WITH a Cause
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“I believe you are all rebels in your own way, creating and dreaming into reality places where the conversation of how our consumption affects others lives is welcomed.”
Ever thought of your self as a rebel, your business as rebellious? If you’re working with Ganesh Himal Save or in Fair Trade you should be thinking of yourself that way! We aren’t the unconstructive troublemakers so often associated with the term rebel, but instead, as Harvard Business Professor Francesca Gino says we are “the people who break the rules that should be broken,” “[the people] that break the rules that hold us and others back”. We’re engaged in rule breaking that creates positive change, we’re the ones looking to change the paradigm? So glad you’re along for the ride!
For 35 years we at Ganesh Himal have had one guiding question, “who says”; Who says business has to be a certain way? Who says you can’t build a business based on relationships and on trust? Who says women can’t be capable, competent business owners? Who says you can’t treat everyone fairly? Who says business has to be based on competition verses cooperation. Who says we can’t have each other as allies? Who says you have to grow to be viable? Who says you can’t sell things that last for 20 years? Who says trade is merely for profit? Who says fast fashion is the only way to keep businesses thriving? The questions we ask ourselves every day are what drive us forward into the world we want to live in.
I believe you are all rebels in your own way, creating and dreaming into reality places where the conversation of how our consumption affects others lives is welcomed. I think you are broadening how people think, educating them about our lifestyle impacts and offering alternatives that bring about positive change. I think you are working together to collaborate and help each other, the producers and the planet thrive and I think you are asking the tough questions about what is enough, how businesses can support each other and how we can find solutions that are win-win.
So, thanks for being rebels, for being rule breakers and for asking the questions that others won’t and being willing to ask more. The more we realize that we are in this to create a different model, a different reality, a bigger perspective, the more we will be inclined to break the rules. Let’s be the rule breakers we are meant to be and think bigger than the past tiny mindset of business we’ve been handed as a model. Let’s look for different ways to be in the world and see if those based on the true rules of compassion, collaboration, trust and kindness might actually work. At Ganesh Himal we’ve found, hands down, they do and we have 35 years of experience demonstrating just that. We have a lot of street cred to say this kind of business is possible.
Join with us in asking the questions and perhaps together we can find the big beautiful world of trade we know can happen, where everyone is a winner and no one is left behind. We think it’s possible, do you?
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LOOK FOR THE BOOKMARKS!
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A new school year is just around the corner and in our continued support of girls’ education in Nepal, we will be including student profile bookmarks in each of our journals. Each bookmark highlights a young student who receives educational stipends from the Power of 5, a program of Ganesh Himal’s non-profit arm, the Conscious Connections Foundation. Each bookmark also highlights why girls are such an amazing investment.
Ganesh Himal encourages and appreciates all of our customers who continue to raise funds for the Power of 5 through donation jars at checkout or other means. Together, our pocket change is global change and we can’t thank you enough for your support!
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In the News
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Law school grad stays connected to the people of Nepal from her Spokane home
BY ELI FRANCOVICHfrom The University of Washington Alum School MagazineJUNE 2017It was 3:30 in the morning on April 25, 2015 when Denise Attwood’s phone rang. She was sound asleep in her Spokane home. Jarred awake, she learned that Nepal, one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries, had been devastated by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
More than 8,000 people were killed and another 20,000 injured. A medical clinic that Attwood, ’88, had helped build was leveled by an avalanche of mud and boulders loosened from the world’s steepest mountain range. The quake was so powerful it lifted Kathmandu, the country’s capital city, three feet. Sitting in her darkened bedroom 7,000 miles away, Attwood was stunned. Then she got busy. After all, it was her desire to help the world’s most vulnerable people that led her to apply to the UW School of Law in the first place three decades ago.Attwood, who filled out her law school application while on a boat between Hong Kong and Shanghai, had altruistic intentions. But she had no idea what she was in for after graduation. She recalls an incident when she worked for the Legal Action Center in Seattle. One of her clients, recently released from a mental institution, had run up enormous credit card debt. The woman was “totally delusional” and shouldn’t have been living alone, Attwood recalls. “People would come in with these gaping wounds, and I didn’t even have a full-size Band-Aid,” she says. “I just had a little tiny one.”
At the same time, other forces began pushing Attwood toward Nepal.
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Throwing their Hearts into Business
BY FRANCES BADGETTfrom Western Washington University Magazine
JULY 2017
Denise Attwood (’83) and Ric Conner (’85) were on a trek in Nepal 30 years ago when they bought two sweaters that changed their lives: The family who made them, Tibetan refugees, asked Attwood and Conner to help them sell sweaters in the U.S.“Ric is a great entrepreneur and I’m a social justice nut,” says Attwood, who met Conner at a Huxley College potluck. Those two sweaters opened up a whole world of talented, hard-working craftspeople in one of the poorest regions in the world.
A few thousand sweaters later, they started Ganesh Himal Trading, LLC, to sell goods from Nepal in stores across the U.S. and Canada. Ganesh Himal Trading has since expanded into paper goods, baskets and other products.
Respect for people and the planet
When Attwood and Conner started, very few people were versed in the practice of fair trade, which encompasses respect for the environment, long-term relationships and livable wages for the producers, and financial support of the region. Today, Ganesh Himal Trading employs hundreds of Nepali and Tibetan craft producers.
“It’s only been 30 years and look at how conscious consumers are today,” Attwood says. “And it makes a huge difference. We see the change in the producers’ lives. We’ve seen families send their daughters to get masters degrees.”
Building Ganesh Himal offered another opportunity to Attwood and Conner to make a difference—the Baseri Health Clinic. On their first trek to Nepal, Attwood and Conner had met a 14-year-old girl, Sita Gurung. Eight years later in the Bangkok airport, the couple reunited with Gurung in a chance encounter.
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Ganesh Himal Trading & the Tibetan Nuns Project
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20 Years Sponsoring The Tibetan Nuns Project!
All institutions, whether religious or secular, have always promoted the advancement of men. Whenever there has been an opportunity to shift that focus to giving women an equal opportunity, Ric and I have jumped at the chance. When the Tibetan Nun’s project came into existence in 1991 we knew this was one such opportunity. This organization focuses on giving Tibetan women the support to participate in their spirtiual traditions at a much deeper level.
“The Tibetan Nuns Project was established under the auspices of the Tibetan Women’s Association and the Department of Religion and Culture of H. H. the Dalai Lama and is dedicated to educating and supporting nuns in India from all Tibetan Buddhist lineages.
In the mid 1980s, with the strong encouragement of H.H. the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Women’s Association began to work on behalf of nuns of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Initial efforts focused on small projects within the two existing nunneries in the Dharamsala area, and the women also worked to start a new nunnery in South India.
In early 1991, a group of 66 refugee nuns appeared overnight on the streets of Dharamsala, India. They had been on a two-year pilgrimage from eastern Tibet that had ended in a journey over the Himalayas. Ill and exhausted, they had nowhere to go. The Tibetan Women’s Association organized emergency assistance to meet their basic needs, and set in motion the Tibetan Nuns Project to work exclusively on behalf of the nuns. The Project immediately began to find long-term solutions to the problems of securing housing, medical care and most importantly, education for refugee nuns. The Project created a sponsorship program, reaching out to individuals around the world.”
The Tibetan Nuns Project is a registered charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service. If you are a US donor, your donations are tax-deductible. If you are giving from outside the US you can give directly to the Tibetan Nuns Project here. Canadian donors may give directly to the Tibetan Nuns Project or, if they wish to receive a Canadian tax receipt, through our fund at Tides Canada. Our legal name is the Tibetan Nuns Project and our Tax ID number is 68-0327175.
Photos & text courtesy of The Tibetan Nuns Project @ tpn.org
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The Nepali Manager Behind Ganesh Himal Trading
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This is the woman who manages everything we do in Nepal! She knows all of the producers and helps them with the orders that come in every other month so that they know exactly what to make and when to deliver it by. This is written in her own words! I think it’s great. She’s an amazing woman and such an inspiration to other women around her! She helped to form the group that does all of the silk knit accessories and also works with the group that does the woven cotton (water pashmina) shawls. She was also at our son’s birth!
This a transcript from a radio interview with Chunta that aired in 2011 on KYRS, Spokane, WA.
Chunta:
I am originally from Tibet but have been living in Kathmandu, Nepal since age 7. I am 53 yrs old and married with a son who is 18 yrs.
When I was small my family had a restaurant where the entire family used to work and we survived on it for a long time.But then with time business deteriorated after my father passed away when he was just 49 yrs old. But my mother was very strong and she raised 5 of us on her own.
My parents like most Tibetan families used to say that we should educate children to a level where they could read and write since we are from a business background and will not be working in offices. But still they had great expectations from us all and I think we all worked very hard in our studies to fulfill their dreams.On the whole we all have done quite well.
I got to know Denise and Ric through my sister Pemala and her husband Namgyal who had done their shipping of goods from Nepal and also was one of their producers of bags, knit wear and clothing. I went with them to USA in 1994 for the first time and after spending 11 months with them they employed me as a manger from the Nepalese side.This work has been a great eye opener for me away from the restaurant.
And after a year we stopped the restaurant and we all did different jobs. It was a great feeling when I got my first salary complete for myself. I went to the monasteries to thank God for this and asked for his guidance that I might be able to prove myself through the years.
I got married in 1998 and my husband is from India. But I have not been able to go there fully due to the good income I receive as a manager for Ganesh Himal which we needed for my sons education. As years went by I got the idea of making the recycled knit accessories and this even raised my income and I was always very busy and happy too since I was making good use of my time and little education too.
I was able to save some money by 2002 to buy a piece of land for my dream house. Although I did borrow some money from the bank, Denise also helped me with some money for which I am thankful. My whole idea of saving money especially for a woman’s uncertain future came from Denise’s Mom Joyce. I think she is the first bead of my life’s necklace.Then there is a lot of inspiration I got from my sister and then Denise from their hard work . and dedication .
This job and business I have has built my confidence, self respect and happiness too and has inspired me to help others too and talk to other women that they can be successful too.Then in 2007 I built my own house with a lot of hard work, adjustment with my plans to take care of my job, business and then son which completed in 2008 Now with the rent I pay for my sons part of the school fee. Once my sons education is complete I could use the money for my old age expenses. So I think with this work I have secured my future too. SaveI do look forward to do better in the future and learn a lot from other working women and to encourage hard working women in ways how they could do better.
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[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Featured Artisan: Padhma Creations
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Padhma Creation’s Story
[/fusion_title][fusion_text]It almost seems too simple: a skein of wool saving a life. For women of Nepal, beaten down by a complex and consuming social status, wool is a welcome reality.
Hasroon is one of these women. Hasroon was married at 18 and living a happy life with her infant son and husband . . . until her in-laws began demanding dowry money. When Hasroon’s family couldn’t pay, she was beaten, humiliated, and ultimately covered with gasoline, pushed into the bathroom, and set on fire. Today, Hasroon works for Padhma Creations, a social enterprise founded by Kesang Yudron. Padhma is the Sanskrit word for lotus, the flower that emerges pure and white from the muddy swamp. Kesang believes it is a fitting symbol for the women artisans, like Hasroom, who work at Padhma Creations. Padhma Creations gives Hasroon the training and job she needs to provide a secure and supportive life for her and her son.Padhma Creations partners with women from neighboring villages of Nepalgunj, Bardiya, and Surkhet in Nepal. Wool is divided among their families who then make berets, scarves, socks, and other items in their homes or in shelters for women without homes. These woolens are then sold, and the money reinvested in programs to support the artisans and their children. Kesang thought of the idea in 2000 when she and her father visited Nepalgunj, a border town between Nepal and India.
“I remember being shocked at the sight of a 13-year-old village girl being rescued from trafficking by the police,” Kesang said. “The story was that a distant relative of hers had intentions of selling her to a brothel in Mumbai. This incident created a lasting and profound impression on my life.”
Thousands of young Nepali women are trafficked to India every year for prostitution, child labor, and slavery, Kesang said.
Others are victims of domestic abuse. All have no jobs or paying skills. “Padhma Creations not only helps these women but saves their families from a life of spiraling poverty. [In addition,] we want to raise awareness about the lives of people in other countries,” Kesang said. “Our hope is to influence a new generation of empathetic young adults who will be socially conscious consumers.”Or, like Kesang, they’ll become entrepreneurs investing in human life worldwide.
-Article from St. Benedicts College
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_text]In addition to providing above market wages for the women, Padhma aims to provide women artisans with health, education and social welfare programs. And so, since 2011, Ganesh Himal Trading has contributed $1.00 for every item made by the group to a Worker Development Fund. A Worker’s Development Fund is a social benefit package which compliments already existing fair wages and steady employment. The money that is set aside gives women in the group the chance to decide how that money can be used to create additional financial support for the artisan group as a whole. Since 2011 the women have chosen to use a portion of the funds to provide scholarships for their children. Originally, these scholarships were prioritized for the women most in need, but as the fund grew the number of recipients grew and now, all of the children of Padhma knitters are on scholarship (49 children as of 2015). In 2015 alone, Ganesh Himal contributed $6,345. Additional funds have been used for medical expenses, funeral costs and family emergencies.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””]
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Radika is 34 years old and has been knitting for 3 years. She was introduced to the shelter project by friends in the neighborhood. Her income from knitting helps send her son to school since her husband does not support the family. In addition to knitting, she raises chickens.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Meera Balmiki
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Meera is the master knitter at Padhma Creations. She travels to Kathmandu to learn the pattern from Pemala and then she trains the other knitters. At age 35, she has 1 brother who paid his own way through college, and 3 sisters, all of whom finished high school. Because of a tumor in her leg, Meera is unable to use a sewing machine, so she relies on her knitting skills to support herself and her family.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Kesang Yudron
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Kesang Yudron first visited Nepalgunj as a high school student when her father wanted to train women of the area to knit. A typical teenager, Kesang didn’t think much of the experience at the time. After completing her accounting degree in Minnesota and working in a cubicle for a large company, however, she realized that she would rather serve her home community. Inspired by the story of a 13 year old village girl being rescued from trafficking by the police in Nepagunj, Kesang founded Padhma Creations to provide women artisans with employm[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Dhana Visht
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Meera is the master knitter at Padhma Creations. She travels to Kathmandu to learn the pattern from Pemala and then she trains the other knitters. At age 35, she has 1 brother who paid his own way through college, and 3 sisters, all of whom finished high school. Because of a tumor in her leg, Meera is unable to use a sewing machine, so she relies on her knitting skills to support herself and her family.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]A Small Sample of Padhma Creations Knitwear
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See all of Padhma Creation’s Knits Here>
(you must be logged-in to view)
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Happy Doshain
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Fall is a time of great celebration in Nepal and a time when families & friends come together, work is put aside and they celebrate life and the ties that bind them. It is one of the most beautiful times of the year to be in Nepal and their month of festivals are a huge reminder that it is a gift to be here in this life and to have the blessings of those who have come before us.Flowers are everywhere and ultimate joy is in the air, the difficulties of life are left behind and gratitude prevails.In North America we enter the fall season in a different way! A huge sense of anticipation and angst emerges as we gear up for our own holiday seasons and this year for the U.S. elections. Somehow it seems draining and difficult on so many levels. I want this issue of our newsletter to bring you the sense of Nepali joy and celebration so that we can remember that even in the busiest and most divisive of times we can step back and celebrate that we are part of an amazing human family and lucky for us we are part of an amazing Fair Trade family as well.
It always brings a huge smile to my face to think about how lucky we are to be a part of the Fair Trade family, one that has religious differences, political differences, racial differences, all kinds of differences but one where we have at our common core a sense that everyone on the planet should be treated with love and respect and given the chance at a healthy and stable life.
So I hope that you can also leave the everyday difficulties of life behind, find joy in the air and join our Nepali friends in celebration of happiness & our common human bond.
-Denise & all the Ganeshees[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]
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Retail Support: Grow Your Customer Base![/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_text]
Donna Gottardi Donna Gottardi, owner of My Fair Trade Lady, has recently experienced a surge of growth with her customer base this last year. We asked her to share with us what she is doing right!
Having a store one hour from the Jersey shore is certainly challenging in July and August. In past years it has seemed as though the whole town packs up and leaves for the summer. This summer, as I braced for leaner times, something surprising happened–we were still busy. The lulls between customers were shorter and we were seeing many more new faces. I attribute this new normal not to some sexy new advertising campaign or other marketing magic bullets but to a handful of daily business practices that have resulted in an expanded customer base.
I believe the primary reason for this growth is our approach to customer service. This begins with greeting every person who enters the store. In addition, I ask the customers how they might have heard of us, where they are from and if they aren’t familiar with fair trade, I provide a brief explanation. Then I encourage them to take their time and have fun. My approach has resulted in some extremely loyal customers who tell their friends about their experience with us. I credit this loyalty to our customers’ interest in supporting our artisans working in fair trade and to our vast selection of beautiful merchandise. These endorsements have really helped to bring in new customers.
Another way we have increased our customer base is by doing presentations about fair trade for local schools and colleges, women’s and men’s groups, libraries and Rotary Clubs. We also receive invitations to sell our products at local farm markets, art shows, and festivals.
I have been fortunate to have been welcomed with open arms into a community of local small businesses where we are located. These relationships have also helped to grow our customer base as we work closely with one another to refer customers. Someone buying a watch battery from the jewelry store or buying groceries at the local market has ended up looking around my store with wonder and leaving with a new fair trade goodie.I also use free social media platforms like Facebook and Mailchimp to advertise new products and events. Facebook has been an invaluable tool for us to update our customers and to interact with them. We have sold so many products from our Facebook posts that it still surprises me how powerful (and cheap!) a marketing tool it can be. Disseminating information from our Facebook page about our artisans has also been wonderful for those customers who want that additional information. And just recently, I sent out a Mailchimp campaign about a sale on our Global Mamas clothing, and in poured the customers, looking at what was on sale but mostly buying what wasn’t!!!!
Every day I am in the shop I learn and almost as frequently I am surprised by the fruits of our labor. And so, My Fair Trade Lady will happily labor on, leaving the magic bullets to the rest. Visit their website here>
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_6″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Find Ganesh Himal Trading Products![/fusion_title][fusion_text]
We sell to over 300 GREAT fair trade shops, like My Fair Trade Lady. To find and purchase our products, you can find their stores online or on the map!
[STORE-LOCATOR]
ONLINE STORES:
*If you are a current customer of Ganesh Himal Trading and would like to be on this map or on our online retail list, please send us an email at info@ganeshhimaltrading.com. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Recent Blog Posts[/fusion_title][fusion_blog number_posts=”” offset=”” cat_slug=”customer-service,fair-trade-connections-and-issues,retail-support” exclude_cats=”” title=”yes” title_link=”yes” thumbnail=”yes” excerpt=”yes” excerpt_length=”35″ meta_all=”yes” meta_author=”yes” meta_categories=”yes” meta_comments=”yes” meta_date=”yes” meta_link=”yes” meta_tags=”yes” paging=”yes” scrolling=”pagination” strip_html=”yes” blog_grid_columns=”3″ blog_grid_column_spacing=”40″ layout=”grid” class=”” id=””][/fusion_blog][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
