A Revolutionary Fair Trade Model
~ By Marc Choyt
Artisan-Owned Direct Distribution Model
Fair Trade For Artisans
In the “fair trade” world, many businesses source their products not from artisans and producers as implied by the familiar fair trade narratives. Rather, the fair trade suppliers to retail stores are – perhaps with few exceptions- commercial consolidators and intermediary wholesalers. Consequently, with this “middle man” system, too little of the money in a fair trade store selling jewelry and other crafts goes to the actual producer. This fact is not transparently disclosed.
Now, out of Mexico, we see a new project wherein one is able to purchase directly from producers, without any of the money going to an intermediary. In January, 2009, I visited this project, located in the traditional jewelry-making villages of Tecalpulco and Taxco El Viejo, in the Municipality of Taxco de Alarcón, Guerrero.
Both Taxco El Viejo and Tecalpulco, are located just fifteen minutes from the traditional silver town of Taxco. I actually stayed with a family in Tecalpulco, hosted by a saintly elderly woman and her husband who provided a mattress and floor space, and cooked astonishing mole’ chicken.
The idea of an artisan-direct marketing system is part of a continuing long-term effort to re-establish a successful artisan economics in the Taxco area cottage industry. Local handcraft and .925 silver jewelry production has, over the past fifteen years, been increasingly blasted by the effects of globalization. Much of the vibrant artisanal silver industry has been destroyed because the traditional markets of the Mexican craftsperson – Mexico and the United States – have been swamped with low-cost oriental products. Tens of thousands of crafts people have left traditional villages and migrated to the US, seeking to work, often illegally, as laborers.
Now, the women who have remained in small villages have created an original marketing system which revolutionizes the process by which handcrafts in the third world are brought to the market and distributed to the public. They call it the Artisan Owned Directed Distribution Model (AODDM).
Artisan-Owned Direct Distribution Has Been a Long Time Coming
The conception and evolution of Artisan-Owned Direct Marketing has been a long process, both as a prospectus seeking support and recognition (2000-2005) and later as a proven, real-world commercial application (2005-2010).
In 2002, AODDM project was awarded Finalist status in Digital Partners Social Enterprise Laboratory. Tamara Hernandez of the Artcamp cooperative, received a trip to India to present a paper at a development conference.
In 2005 the AODDM was the subject of Tecalpulco’s participation in the prestigious European Nabuur website. In those years the AODDM and Artcamp won other prizes. These links are to archived pages from the early years of the AODDM project, when these Mexican craftswomen were still attempting to gain support for this project from international sources.
http://www.artcamp.com.mx/awards/friends/texas/texas_03.php
http://www.artcamp.com.mx/awards/techmuseum/
However, none of the formal recognition of the AODDM at that time amounted to any real-world benefit for the producer community, because there was no genuine support encountered.
When it came to commerce, the same-old patterns of international commercial process were universally applied to the selection, ordering, and payments-management, etc. requirements suffered by the producers. The craftspeople were unable to take their own destiny in their own hands.
In the development of this new approach, the Mexican craftswomen innovated and perfected this innovative marketing system, without official support, grants, or loans, mini or otherwise. The artisan-direct marketing model project has been 100 percent home-grown, a marketing system designed by artisan producers and, as such, it is far more empowering than programs which are developed town-down, without grassroots development.
By the Artisans, and On Behalf Of The Artisans
The AODDM is a grassroots development by the artisans, and on behalf of the artisans. The Mexican craftswomen have opened a door that up to this point, is just beginning to gain the attention that it deserves.
Artisan-Owned Direct Marketing means working directly with New World Women distributors. They form the central nodes of an extended social network. This allows the artisan to have an honorable place along with the NWW Distributors, the re-sellers and the customers.
New World Women marketing turns around the way commercial business has always been done. Though marketing material is still in development, they have produced this short video, Maria of Tecalpulco, tells her story.
See the very beautiful stone mosaic jewelry of these talented craftswomen: Stone Mosaic Jewelry
