2.
Little Trove products.
A GROWING Staffordshire retailer is helping to create jobs for a group of weaver women in an Indian
leprosy colony.
Little Trove, an online fair trade gift and homeware business , has designed a range of cotton bags
which is now being crafted by weavers in India.
Business owner Ramona Hirschi met the women during a research visit and was determined to help
them start an income-generating project
"Last autumn, a Little Trove volunteer and I went to visit the colony and stayed for several days," said
Ramona.
"I must admit I found conditions to be harsh. It was 35 degrees, there was no electricity during the day
and 11 of us shared the one bathroom out the back.
"In those conditions, I had to forget about contact lenses, hair straighteners, make up and my mobile
phone.
"However, I was welcomed into their homes with utmost generosity and treated like a queen.
"Their passion and traditional weaving skills shone through but I worked with them on Western design
ideas and how to develop a finished product acceptable to a savvy Western consumer.
"I was pleased to be able to place orders for a range of cotton bags.
"The designs are exclusively available from Little Trove and the work we are providing is giving
employment to eight women.
"We hope the bags will be successful so that we can increase our orders and create more jobs for the
families living at the colony.
"I have a strong belief in international trade as a wealth generator for disadvantaged producer groups
and am proud to say Little Trove is helping in a small way."
Little Trove is the UK's only direct selling company which specialises in fair trade.
3. The business runs on a party plan model where consultants across the country arrange events in
potential customers' homes.
Based in Newcastle, the company has 35 consultants across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland
and has recently appointed abusiness development manager.
Ramona founded Little Trove after previously working as a humanitarian lawyer for the United Nations
and in commercial litigation.
Ramona, now 36, moved to Newcastle from Geneva when her husband Raphael, an astrophysicist,
took up a research fellowship at Keele University.
She said: "The world of litigation was very exciting and I did enjoy it but it was not conducive to family
life.
"I sat down one day with a piece of paper and charted a course for where I wanted my life to be when
I turned 50 and having considered all aspects, realised that my life needed a course correction in
order to live a truly fulfilled life.
"I took my work and life experience and decided to create a job that would give me satisfaction and
quality time with the family.
"At the same time, I wanted to ensure the business I set up was ethical and capable of creating
opportunities for others, which pulled me towards the promotion of fair trade products.
"Little Trove allows me to run a business that helps sustain families in developing countries and
provides a pathway into work in the UK."
Read more: http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Business-Retailer-Little-Trove-Newcastle-secures/story-
20655089-detail/story.html#ixzz2ts4QUzEX
