| Couro Ecológico US Market Introduction Project |
CEN has sold a limited number of Couro Ecológico products over the past few years in an effort to generate additional sales for the worker-owner association. We've sold products by selling online and at events, in addition to approaching established retailers in the US and Australia, all in an attempt to increase sales volume and production. These efforts have been thwarted by a lack of a clearly-defined product line and an ineffective process for retailers to communicate their preferences. Although the association has made strides in recent years to improve the design of their products, the sheer range of different styles is bewildering - especially when it's not clear what models the association is still manufacturing. To further complicate matters, the Couro Ecológico doesn't have a system in place to refer to specific models or colors. Buyers must feel confident that they will receive what they intend to order, or they will be very unlikely to reorder products in the future. History of CEN's Involvement CEN has recognized the potential and importance of Couro Ecológico and had limited involvement with the organization and its members for several years. CEN began working with Arimar Fietosa, one of the association's founders and a key visionary, as part of our Amazon Prototype Project starting in early 2005. We recognized Arimar's vision and drive to be a unique asset for the community and our goal was to support his work so that he could become an entrepreneurial role model for the entire region. During the Prototype Project, we primarily focused our efforts on advising him on US market dynamics, how to reach more customers through the internet and on marketing efforts in general. In August 2008 we organized a visit by a group of MBA students from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania to travel to the community of Maguary, where Couro Ecológico is located, to evaluate the association and provide feedback on how to improve their business (read more about this visit). Beginning in September 2008, we also began mentoring Edileuza da Silva and Nei Feitosa, two intended participants in our Creating a Culture of Empowerment in the Amazon Region (cCLEAR) project, and members of the Couro Ecológico, with their efforts to reinvigorate the association and its leadershipOur current goals: Strengthen product identity and ability to fill ordersThe goals of our immediate work with Couro Ecológico, are to help the organization:
As of March 2011, this has been largely been accomplished, and so CEN will now focus on:
We are currently selling our inventory of purses through our online store, and as mentioned earlier, we've contacted retailers primarily in the Seattle, WA and Bellingham, WA areas to carrying the purses. We must walk a fine line between expanding markets without over-committing the factory to sales which it might not be able to deliver in a timely fashion, due to an unproven production capacity, logistics and other issues.
Future PlansOnce we have achieved the limited goals identified above, and have established a level of confidence and trust with the association, CEN hopes to expand the scope of our involvement through an in-country partner. Future objectives will likely include:
Related articles More information about CEN's work with Couro Ecológico. For more information Couro Ecológico Overview
Once we have achieved the limited goals identified above, and have established a level of confidence and trust with the association, CEN hopes to expand the scope of our involvement through an in-country partner. Future objectives will likely include: Create a strong foundation for self reliance by strengthening basic skills and habits for key members of Couro Ecológico; Build entrepreneurial, management and vocational skills by the project participants; Improve quality control and production processes to stabilize production levels in Couro Ecológico; Increase sales levels; Begin the process of overcoming key structural obstacles that entrepreneurs in the region face to building sustainable enterprises; and
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| Last Updated on Thursday, 19 April 2012 07:31 |
