“Good for YOU. Good for the PRODUCERS. Good for the EARTH.”
GREENOLA is committed to Fair Trade: a justice centered business model providing a living wage for workers, safe and empowering working conditions, and environmentally friendly practices. We empower producers in the Third World to lift themselves out of poverty, invest in their communities, protect the environment, and develop skills necessary to compete in a global environment.
GREENOLA actively supports 5 Fair Trade producer groups in Bolivia, each group is very unique in itself.
Our Third World Producers are worker-owned sewing cooperatives located near the Bolivian city of Cochabamba. The majority of our entrepreneurs are women. Back in 2004, we provided an interest-free startup loan and vocational training for this project. This loan was used for sewing machines, equipment and a guarantee deposit for the work space. Our Bolivian staff, both professional and volunteer, offer on-going support for the cooperatives, empowering the members to gain financial sustainability for their families.
We work directly with our producers, providing training to the artisans and their cooperatives so they are able to improve on their skills. This in return strengthens their business and social impact, both in their communities and worldwide. In most cases, we make a 50% advance on orders, helping our producers to finance Fair Trade. We take a slower approach to production, supporting handmade items, unlike most of products dominating the fashion industry.
WARMIS COOPERATIVE, Greenola Style, Cochabamba, Bolivia
The Warmis Cooperative makes baby booties for the Gendercide Awareness Project. Women are members on an as-needed basis. They attend meetings when they are in need of work, and then often jump out to do other jobs. At this time, there are about 60 women in the Warmis community, with about 12 who work full time.
$2.50 to these women is a good wage. Often they make less than that per day in their communities doing other things. They have the opportunity to make more than $2.50 a day with this job, as they are paid per item. In Bolivia, you can get ingredients to purchase enough starches for one meal with $2.50 (their meals are starch heavy). The average wage in Bolivia is .22 cents per hour of HARD labor. This is a significant difference, and it is an opportunity to do work that is easier on the body, that they can do from home while watching children, and at their own will.
