While co-ops can vary widely in structure, size, and industry, the basic definition of a cooperative is a business in which the workers are all part-owners. This means that they get to share in the profit and risk of doing business, as well as have a say in management, negotiations, and business operations.
As an ethical company doing our best to work responsibly with our artisan partners as well as the environment, we get asked a lot about where our leather comes from, so I wanted to address this question and explain a little bit about the environment for cattle in Tanzania. First off, all of our leather comes from Tanzanian cattle (and a few styles use goat skin as well, as it is thinner). Industrialized farming is virtually unheard of in Tanzania. Cattle production is done mostly by pastoralist peoples, who spend their days herding cattle through the vast grasslands making up much of the landscape of East Africa. (Herder with Cattle, photo credit Manyara Ranch Conservancy) Cattle play a huge part in...
Swahili Coast is a business. Like many small business owners, we want to harness the power of the market to improve the lives of people we love--although in our case, the people we love are not just our family and friends here at home, they are also our (very) extended family and friends in Tanzania. While profits are important, doing right by the people we work with is not up for compromise. We aren't just calling in orders to a factory overseas--we work hand-in-hand with the artisans at our workshop, and we are serious about our responsibility to these artisans. (I mean, look how awesome these people are. I have no idea why anyone wouldn't want to be friends with...
