B Corp Month | Celebrating our workers
B Corp month is in full swing, and this week the focus is all about ‘the workers’. Here at Pala we often celebrate the artisans behind our lovely cases, however, on this occasion, we wanted to highlight a couple of other brands working closely alongside their respective communities and showcase the value that comes from such partnerships.
Yala Jewellery
Yala’s ultimate goal is to financially empower the artisans we work with. They are survival entrepreneurs who operate in the informal sector, and they have wide nets of dependents who also rely on their income. By ensuring that we pay them well over and above the living wage, we’re giving them a chance to thrive and participate more fully in the economy in Kenya. This gives them dignity, choices and a sense of pride.
This is why we joke that Yala isn’t really about jewellery at all. It’s merely a vehicle to put money in the pockets of the artisans we work with by giving them access to international markets.
Audrey Migot-Adholla, Founder, Yala Jewellery, B Corp.
New Ground Coffee
At NewGround, our goal is to “do good” from source to destination. The Zukuka Bora Coffee Project in Mt. Elgon in Uganda has always been a part of our story, all the way back when the idea of NewGround was formed. One of our friends went out to Uganda to be part of this project, to work alongside local coffee farmers, equipping them with improved, organic production methods and top-quality cultivation principles.
They are helping Ugandan farmers to re-imagine their products and drastically increase their return. By linking farmers directly to overseas markets and roasting companies like us, they are able to obtain a better and fairer price for their world-class coffee.
Our friend has seen amazing work within the community over in Uganda and said to us “wouldn’t it be amazing if we saw life-changing work happen in the countries where this coffee is drunk too?”.
These words sparked the idea of having a social enterprise in the UK. Importing and roasting speciality coffee, including the sensational coffee from the Zukuka Bora Coffee Project, and using this business as a vehicle to run training and employment programs for ex-offenders.
The idea that something as simple as coffee can change lives all the way through the chain. From the farmers growing and processing it, to our staff roasting it, is the real driving force behind NewGround.
Dickon Morris, Co-Founder & Director, New Ground Coffee. B Corp in waiting.
Pala Eyewear
The health of our planet is inextricably linked to the impact on populations around the world. Climate change intensifies poverty and income inequality creating favourable conditions for urbanization and migration from low to high latitude countries.
In Bolgatanga, Ghana, where the female weavers for our recycled sunglasses cases live, increasing drought has meant the traditional straw they rely on is no longer readily available. By providing recycled plastic directly to the communities we are ensuring that they don’t have to travel hours to source their material as well as help towards preserving traditional weaving skills that have passed through generations.
Mary Aboyo head of the weaving community that works with Pala
The weavers of Bolgatanga are considered some of the very best across the whole of Ghana. Pala pays the weavers what is termed locally a ‘prosperity wage’, providing an income that helps them to empower themselves out of poverty and improve their standard of living. It’s about building long term relationships to build on the work we are doing together and in doing so we can expect to help deliver more impact and change.
John Pritchard, Founder, Pala Eyewear, B Corp.
