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I have been running a small business “Tamarind Trading” since late 2008, it sells jewellery, home wares and gifts. I have just changed the name to "Under the Tamarind Tree". The Tamarind tree represents growth, shelter, shade in hot climates, and food. It is found in both Africa and Asia, where most of my products are sourced. Many of the artisans who make the goods I sell live in small villages and make the products in the open. The telephone wire baskets which come from Africa still have the wonderful smell of the campfires around which they were made.
I've been in a bit of a conundrum as to how to describe my business, and its direction. Historically Tamarind has sold some fair trade goods and other goods that are lovely but not fair trade. I sell these goods at jewellery parties, school fetes, markets and fairs. The aim of this business which was passed on by my predecessor, Annie Bell (who moved to Burma), was to run a business that not only made profit, but gave back to the community.
The nature of fair trade goods means that you give back to communities by buying their products. However as not all the products I sell are fair trade, I have tried to give back to communities by offering to donate a percentage of the profits I make at an event to a charity. In the last two years, Tamarind Trading has managed to donate a couple of thousand dollars to various charities including SAWA, the Flying Doctor Service, Breast Cancer and other charities.
Following a recent trip I made to Vietnam, I have decided to donate a percentage of my profits to "Blue Dragon Children's Foundation". Here is their link www.bdcf.org. They do fantastic work for street kids in Vietnam and really turn lives around. My mother, was brought up in Vietnam and came to Australia when she was 16 so I feel a real connection with the country. Here is a picture of me with some of the street kids when I visited Blue Dragon.Back to my dilemma. I would like to transition the business from 40% fair trade to 100% fair trade, and from 0% online to 80% online. At the moment about 75% of my business is selling jewellery. I have noticed that a lot of fair trade jewellery is bohemian which I love but which does not appeal to many. Other fair trade jewellery is unfashionable and plain ugly. I'm going to have to look seriously to find some better fair trade jewellery products and diversify to other fair trade goods if I want to run a sustainable business which is 100% fair trade.
On my trip to Vietnam I serendipitously found two fair trade suppliers with lovely hand made products so I have decided to diversify my business into other fair trade items including scarves, bags, ceramics, and other home wares. Above is a photo of an artisan I met at one of the fair trade businesses in Vietnam. The business employs adult disabled people who produce the most beautiful items.I hope you enjoy my blog and will join me on my journey.
