SALAY, MISAMIS ORIENTAL -A local handmade papermaker has broken into mainstream markets, bagging supply deals with British retailer Marks & Spencer and US specialty book retailer Barnes & Noble.
Business World (Philippines) via NewsEdge Corporation :
SALAY, MISAMIS ORIENTAL -A local handmade papermaker has broken into mainstream markets, bagging supply deals with British retailer Marks & Spencer and US specialty book retailer Barnes & Noble.
"We shipped out a test order of journals and greeting cards to both companies and they have placed repeat orders with us already," said Loreta C. Rafisura, founder and president of Salay Handmade Paper Industries, Inc., a community-based firm that started as a livelihood project but is now the second largest employer in this town.
Traidcraft, Plc., a client of Salay Paper, introduced the firm to Marks & Spencer, and facilitated orders. Similarly, Barnes & Noble orders Salay Paper cards and journals through Manny Melgar's Phildanks in Manila and Cebu.
Mrs. Rafisura and son Neil, who is the company's general manager, will meet with buyers in the United Kingdom this month. Included in their schedule is Tiger Print in Yorkshire, a division of Hallmark, the sole supplier for Marks & Spencer cards and gift wrappers.
Salay Paper started exporting to mainstream buyers in the US in the '90s, Mrs. Rafisura said.
"We compete globally with handmade papermakers in Asia. Many in the mainstream market are stricter, buy in volume though at a lower price; demand very high quality, and will pay only after delivery," she noted.
Salay Paper started as a livelihood project of the People's Economic Council of Salay in 1987, led by Dr. Reynaldo Rafisura, the town's health officer. The project was meant to help residents displaced by fighting between government and insurgents.
As the business grew, Mr. Rafisura turned over management to wife Loreta, who registered it with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a corporation in 1990. Back then, Salay Paper did not have the required capital to register as a cooperative or foundation.
During its early years, Salay Paper products were marketed in Manila by Mrs. Rafisura's cousins Joseph, Julita, Paul and Carol Lee of Parkwood Products with five SM City outlets.
The company is described as a "fair trader." As sales improved, it began profit sharing among its workers in 1999.
There are 49 stockholders, 16 of them Salay Paper workers. As many as 420 people earn their livelihood with Salay Paper, 95% of whom are town natives. Ninety seven percent of its products are marketed globally.
Last year, Salay Paper opened SHAPIIShoppe in Cagayan de Oro's De Leon Plaza, said to be the first fair trade shop in Mindanao.
The "Fair Trader" tag is given by the nongovernment group International Fair Trade Association to entities in poor countries. A "Fair Trade" company is a partnership based on "dialogue, transparency and respect" seeking "greater equity in international trade
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