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...
