Cafe Connect in Chiang Rai

Right across the street from the old Bus Station in Chiang Rai sits a cute little coffee shop and restaurant called Cafe Connect. They have an extensive menu consisting of just about any western dish you'd like - and lots of local favorites. It's helpful to know they also have a special vegetarian menu if you're not so much into the meaty things. Cafe Connect also has large hot, cold and iced drink menu along with lots of sweets from their homemade bakery.

We stopped in to drop off our new display for our bird necklaces and got some lunch. The food was great, the atmosphere is great for hanging out with friends, taking a breather from the traveling or just enjoying a nice iced coffee.

170-171 Moo 18, Prasobsuk Road, Tambon Wiang, Amphur Muang
Chiang Rai, Thailand 57000
053-754-181

What's Brewing at Doi Chaang?

If you haven't been to Doi Chaang Coffee yet in Chiang Rai, it's a must-stop for any tourist - or local for that matter! We stopped by the other day to drop off some new Jellyrolls and had a cup of coffee and some breakfast and it so tasty. The shop is also selling civet coffee by the bag which would make the ultimate souvenir (besides an IA bag ;) for your coffee-loving friends back home.

New Wallets in the Works!

We recently headed out to Ya Fu, a Lahu village about 35 minutes outside of Chiang Rai. Izara Arts started working with this village about two years ago after a brief visit and finding these great little wallets (in various sizes) among some of their other handicrafts. We worked with them to get the colors right and since then the product has taken off! We have introduced quite a few other organizations including Tammachat Natural Textiles and the Textile Museum of Canada.


We've been carrying our two current colors for a while now and are looking to update the options. Through the help of Paul Hancock, Director of Khom Loy Development Foundation, we picked out some new colors including a lime green/brown/tan combo and a blue/teal/yellow combo (pictured right) and ordered a total of 45 zippered wallets. The ladies agreed to drop them to our office in two weeks time, so we're looking forward to seeing the new products and increasing sales for this Lahu village.

Chiang Rai Fair Trade Store Updated!

Have you stopped by the Thai Tribal Crafts (TTC) Fair Trade Shop in Chiang Rai lately? If not, you'd better plan a visit. Harry Wathittayakul, Managing Director of TTC Fair Trade store in Chiang Rai has overhauled the store with a new look, tons of new products and a great new vibe. 

The store, which is open Monday thru Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., carries loads of local handmade products from place mats to yoga mat bags, lunch bags to purses, keychains to jewelry. The store has it all and is a one-stop shop for the best souvenirs the area has to offer. You'll find a nice selection of Izara Arts products as well. The Fair Trade store is located near the new clock tower next door to the popular new coffee shop, The Hub.

528/8 Prakarn Rd.

Tambon Wiang, Mueng District, Chiang Rai Province, 57000

Fair Trade--'Are You Serious?' Case Study

Petra, our favorite volunteer!



Following the process, from artisans hard at work...

...to finished product!

My husband has a parable about his days as a consultant for Kaizen:


“What is the difference between involvement and commitment?” asks the earnest young consultant. “Ah”, says the wise old team leader, “did you have bacon and eggs for breakfast this morning? The chicken was involved, the pig was committed.”


We worked hard to get our membership from World Fair Trade Organization-Asia and beat the odds to do so. There are only 4 legitimately registered companies in Thailand, authorized to carry the Fair Trade logo on their products. We take seriously our commitment not to exploit the producers. Over the 7 years of our existence, we have driven down prices to normal wholesale levels. In some cases this meant taking 30% off the price of production. We’ve accomplished this without reducing the producers’ incomes or negotiating with them to bring their prices down.


This is not purely a philosophical position. As a business, we have the equal and opposite commitment of wanting to maximize profits. To reassure ourselves that we remain fair AND profitable we test our position occasionally so we can stand by the statements we make on our marketing material, to WFTO-Asia, to the producers and to the public.


The following blog is the report created by Petra Mackay, an Australian volunteer who visited us in October 2009. Unusually for a volunteer, she had some relevant understanding as she was studying ethnic communities in Southeast Asia at university. Importantly, she felt that she could live in an isolated village for 3-4 days without one word of the local language, which is much harder than it sounds.


We commissioned Petra to conduct a “time and motion” study to check whether we are in fact paying a fair amount for the work done. Since we had an observer in place, we asked her to comment on other questions. Have we just increased female workloads by bringing in the additional work, making them work longer hours in deteriorating conditions? Do the women have to hand the money over to the men thereby removing any discretion they might have about how it is spent?


Her report is fascinating. We attach it here in its entirety only removing the names for privacy. If anyone wants to commission work directly from the village, we are happy to make introductions and get out of the way. You will see from the report, that this particular village has good language skills and an understanding of the West.

Thai Craft Fair in Bangkok

Last weekend, Izara staff were able to visit Bangkok to sell at the monthly Thai Craft Fair on Sukhumvit Road.  Thai Craft has always given us excellent opportunities to get to know new customers, make friends, and increase our market in Bangkok. Check out pictures of our display and new packaging designs!