Local Crafters in SA Impress US Buyers

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Saibl hosted two US craft buyers in the past week - Nicole Hagerman-Miller, Project Manager for the Montana World Trade Centre and Angela Ramirez, Director of Worldstock, a division of Overstock.com. The aim of the visit was to consult with local crafters and provide advice on market trends and opportunities in the US, product development and design, the establishment of distribution channels, price negotiating (leveraging financing and terms to benefit buyer/seller), as well as marketing and promotion.

(Picture: from left to right: Angela Ramirez - Overstock.com Merchandising Manager, Bongi Mbili - SAIBL Trade Team, Vuyisile Mshudulu- CCDI, Nicole Hagerman-Mille r- Consultant and Buyer, Haben Berhe - SAIBL Washington office.)

The programme included visits to saibl clients’ premises and meetings with small groups of crafters who displayed their own products. The activities of the week culminated in a workshop in Cape Town attended by fifteen crafters and organized in conjunction with the Cape Craft and Design Institute (CCDI), a member organization responsible for the development and promotion of the craft sector in the Western Cape.

The buyers were impressed by the variety of high quality products made by South African crafters and bought some samples with the promise of placing bigger orders in future. saibl clients Imiso Ceramics, Ilulwane Craft / Zenzulu, Artists of Africa, Homepower / Kunye, and Le2 Designs were some of the companies that stood out as having suitable products for the US market.