Solidarity Shop Berat - supporting local artisans and producers- promoting local experiences!
Solidarity Shop Berat is one place collectinglocal flavors – food items, handicraft souvenirs – made with locally sourced products, reflecting the local tradition, culture, and spirit, and most importantly, made by the local people. It helps generate income for families and individuals coming from the vulnerable groups: rural families living in isolated areas with little/no access to the market, long-term unemployed women, youth not in employment or education, single mothers, local artisans.
Regional
Albania
Region of Berat, Municipalities of Berat, Corovode, Poliçan, Dimal,
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
As an individual in partnership with other persons
First name: Erilda Last name: Krasi Gender: Female Age: 29 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Albania Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Sotir Kolea Street Town: Berat Postal code: 5001 Country: Albania Direct Tel:+355 69 883 1536 E-mail:erilda.krasi@gmail.com
The Solidarity Shop Berat started out of the need we identified from the continuous requests, to have one place selling local flavors – food items, handicraft souvenirs – made with locally sourced products, reflecting the local tradition, culture, and spirit, and most importantly, made by the local people.
Operating within the concept of a social enterprise, the Solidarity Shop Berat first of all helps generate income for families and individuals coming from the vulnerable groups: rural families living in isolated areas with little or no access to the market, long-term unemployed women, youth not in employment or education, single mothers, local artisans, people with special needs part of the social centers of the city and so on. By providing a secure market through the shop, which has visibility as it is located on the way to the castle, and it is also next to 1001 Albanian Adventures infopoint and office, a well known tour operator, we are gradually establishing a reliable stream of income for these people. One other group that we engage at the premises of Solidarity Shop Berat is the students and youngsters of the catholic community, who work either part time or during their holidays, so that they can generate some income for their studying fees and so on.
On the other hand, the products sold in Solidarity Shop Berat fill a significant gap for souvenirs in a city that is an important tourism destination, thus helping generate more positive destination awareness among them.
In Solidarity Shop Berat tourists and visitors can buy homemade products (jams, rakia, types of gliko), natural products (dried herbs, tea, dried fruit), handcrafted products (soap, carved wood/metal items, crocheted or embroidered souvenirs), useful products/souvenirs made with recycled materials and more. The range of products increases constantly.
The more products we sell, the more families and individuals can be included in the project, the more autentic values can be transmitted.
Social Inclusion
Sustainability -Authenticity
Local Culture
Social Enterprise
Environmental friendly furniture and packaging
We have been elaborating this idea for a few months now, and sustainability has always been one of our core values.
Our main key objective in terms of sustainability was that of building an ecological social enterprise as we try to reduce as much as possible the pollution by finding ways to use nature friendly materials, apply circular economy models and the 3R scheme (reduce, reuse, recycle) and so on. Some of the main activities we are developing to help this objective meet are described shortly below:
- We are going almost plastic free in the premises of our enterprise (95%). We have started to use paper bags, tissues, and other reusable materials (bamboo, glass) instead of using the plastic ones.
- We are becoming the recycling and composting pioneers in the city, through two main activities. Firstly, by offering a section of products created with recycled materials, which were taken out from their initial function and were turned into shopping bags, accessories, souvenirs etc.
One other way we are encouraging recycling and composting is by reusing the materials we use at the shop and also accepting materials from the local community, which can be reused. We also compost the organic waste remained from our activity, we take some of them to the locals who raise chickens and so on, so nothing gets really wasted. If not damaged, we reuse the paper bags/packaging several times as well.
- We are educating our suppliers and our buyers to use differentiated waste bins placed at our enterprise, so they can be recycled easily.
Nature will always be in focus, and we want a part of the profit to be returned to investments in the good of the environment, such as The addition of separate waste bins in the most frequented areas , planting plants and seedlings to increase greenery, organizing cleaning campaigns and ecotourism activities with members of the local community (especially children , youngsters and people with special needs) and other similar activities.
The whole idea of Solidarity Shop Berat is that of offering an experience to the visitors/clients. We want them to get to know the local community better, its way of living, its culture and traditions, the values that these people bring out. The furnishing of our enterprise is unique in the whole region, as it combines the local way of living with the ecofriendly materials, so the visitor can create an idea what a local house looks like in the inside. When we serve the typical products, we have combined and offer them in the way we also offer to our guests at home in different occasions, like a normal day, at engagement or wedding days, birth days, specific guests etc.
The main key objectives we listed in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people are as below:
- Ensure the preservation of traditions and its transmission.
- Appreciate the handcrafted works of artisans and masters from the region of Berat.
- Create a positive socio economic impact upon the community of creators and makers of local products in the area
- Creating a network (national & International) with the community interested in responsible shopping.
- Bring new touristic products and experiences into the market (local products’ tasting- like we respect guests at our homes in different occasions)
Our project idea is completely based on the local tradition, since all the products that are promoted and offered to the local, national and international customers, are created and produced according to the local tradition, in order to preserve it as much as possible, as well as to pass on this tradition to the younger generations , and its values are 'transmitted' to every buyer. It is an extension to the offer of experiential tourism in the city, an experience that makes the visitor feel at home, experience all the scents, flavors and developments as if he/she was a local, and allowing him/her to take a piece of Berat at home, with the small portions of each product available.
Inclusion (especially the social inclusion of the less advantageous groups) has been one of our main focuses to develop this idea.
Berat and Albania itself are experiencing very high levels of people leaving, especially youngsters, so we are trying to find ways to inspire other youngsters see the opportunities offered by Albania, instead of leaving this country.
Through Solidarity Shop Berat, we have thought to involve several categories of local community's members such as:
- Farmers with local or no access to the market: by offering them a secure market through the shop for their organic and natural products, we can gradually establish a reliable stream of income for these people (villages near Tomorr mountain national park like Dardhe, Karkanjoz, Kapinove, Tomor etc).
- The marginalized communities in our region (youth in isolated villages, unqualified/often abused women that are not in employment), who sometimes seem to not see hope for their future.
-Young people who would like to dip into entrepreneurship, start a business and have chosen to stay in Berat instead of living the city/country.
- People with special needs (workshops in social centers), who will also be invited sometimes to work in the premises of our enterprise, so they can transmit the real spirit of it. :)
- Artisans and masters of the city: Berat is very famous for its community of artisans and masters working on wood, stone, iron, embroidery and so on. Unfortunately, they don't have a representing entity and their art is left unnoticed, despite the fact that it carries immense cultural values.
As a long-term objective, we aim to employ at least one woman, one young person and one person with special abilities, in order to increase as much as possible the positive impact on as many marginalized groups as possible. We believe that they are the best representation of the whole idea, and it will help them feel evaluated and capable to work and bring something to the society.
The local community of farmers, producers, artisans, youngsters and so on is a big part of our project, so they are definitely involved in the concept.
15 families from the local community has become the first group of product suppliers for Solidarity Shop Berat, a network which we believe will grow over time and the growth of our activity. These are families mainly with low income or no income at all, and we believe that through the sale of these products, we will be able to offer an income channel for the family, as usually the whole family is engaged in the process of production/creation of products.
Undoubtedly, with the stabilization and consolidation of the project idea, there will be a demand to increase and enrich the offer of products and services. In cooperation with other local actors, we want to create a national-international network of 'responsible' buyers, which will aim to raise the awareness of the masses, as well as to affect positively the economic situation of these families.
One other specific group of civil society that we want to involve in the development of our Solidarity Shop, are the youngsters. We want to become an example for them, to show that here they can find opportunities to grow themselves here, to become successful and at the same time to have a positive impact in the local community, especially among the youngsters. We also want to organize social coffee talks with them, so we can get their feedback and suggestions on what we could do better. Being part of the local Christian community, we would also like to have their involvement in the concept, so they can offer us spiritual advice on how to better transmit and preserve the values our community holds.
By involving the local community and the different actors in a proactive way, the concept will be more welcome and we believe their input will have greater impact in our success.
In the implementation of Solidarity Shop Berat, we can identify quite a lot of stakeholders, which have all had their say in how to better bring this new service to the city. As we are a group of youngsters within the catholic community of Berat, the whole community of believers, the parish, the vicar and the bishop were supporting this idea from the very beginning. They saw this initiative as one that can have an impact in preventing massive immigration of youngsters by offering them opportunities to build their enterprises and their future in the city instead of somewhere else abroad.
One other stakeholder is that of the social centers of the city that work with disabled people in local and regional level. They have adapted the products they create according to the market needs, so they can ensure the sustainability of their activities with each product sold.
Of course, among the most important stakeholders are the suppliers, that make possible the wide range of the product offered at the premises of Solidarity Shop. We have held and are planning to hold frequent meetings with them in order to go on the same direction in terms of having aesthetic, qualitative and natural products supplied. They were engaged and offered their suggestions about the exposure of their products in each respective shelf/side of the enterprise, the storage and packaging options and so on.
Other stakeholders that were engaged and offered their support in the development of the concept were members of tourism sector (hotels, tour operators) who would like to offer local products' tasting experience at the premises of our enterprise, offer locally sourced products to their clients for breakfast etc;
education sector (vocational training schools, universities) which expressed the interest to bring students as interns, public administration promoting this as an innovative service in the city, international tourists visiting the city (labels translated in English), Artisans, NGOs etc.
Our team members come from very different backgrounds, what gave us the opportunity to apply knowledge from many different disciplines. The main disciplines involved in the design and development of our project idea were architecture and engineering, carpenter work, psychology, start up and business management, electricians, marketing, social media management, communication and foreign languages etc.
The person who is the 'brain' of the enterprise, Geraldo, is initially a doctor, but with a very strong eye on engineering and entrepreneurship. He had most of the interaction with the architect who designed the interior furnishing with the style of the local houses; the carpenter who did all the woodwork by hand and in a traditional way, with the engineer in order to have exact measurements and correct implementation of the architectural project. The incorporation and combination of each of these specific skills and experiences has brought its own value to the overall concept and implementation of our project idea.
Other disciplines and knowledge fields that were involved during the design and development phases of our project is the part of soft skills as well. Apart from the technical skills, which are necessary especially for the physical space, trying to implement a social enterprise also requires the 'social' aspect. That is why we have among us a psychologist and good communicators as well, so they can keep the communication with everyone involved, either the suppliers from different groups, the institutions, the visitors and people being curious about our idea and so on. With the help of our social media girls, our products can be showed to the online world as well, and some more channels of promotion are made available. Each knowledge applied has its own value, brings its own impact and has definitely added value and improved our project idea, our Solidarity Shop! :)
Based on the preliminary market study we have done, in the city/region of Berat this idea is not yet present, so there is no physical point where one can find all types of products that are created and produced in the region of Berat, and are typical and representative of the local culture, traditions and values.
Apart from one place of selling these products, there is an innovative approach on serving them as well, as there is no place in the city that offers the typical products of expecting and hosting guests at home, in different occasions of the life.
The business model that we want to bring to the city is also new, as we would like to operate as a social enterprise, instead of being just a profitable shop, by giving back to the local community, the environment that surrounds us and makes possible our activities and so on.
The Social Enterprise business concept is not yet recognized by the business sector in the city, and we hope that with our example, we will inspire other enterprises to implement basics of Social Responsibility as well. Also, unfortunately, the packaging and massive use of plastic means that the packaging of paper, fabrics and recycled materials is used very little. We believe that even in this aspect we will bring a new way of recycling and reusing things, which we hope will be followed by as many other businesses in the future, since in addition to the economic benefit through the minimization of costs, there is also a lot of environmental benefit. , mainly with the Reduce - Reuse - Recycle method.
One other aspect that we see as innovative is regarding the branding and promotion, as we want to create a personifying brand for all this group of farmers, artisans, young people as well as people with special needs, we want to become a point of reference not only in Berat, but also into a wider market. The term Solidary and responsible shopping are also something new for the Berat market as well.
When we were writing the concept note of Solidarity Shop Berat, one of the long term objectives to keep in mind, was that of being able to create a chain or a network of these activities in several cities of Albania, which have similar characteristics. There are some cities which we have identified as potential locations to replicate our concept idea, mainly because of the similarities in architecture, the services and products offered, the development of tourism sector and so on.
In Tirana, the capital, the idea of a Solidarity Shop could be easily replicated or transferred, and it would be very helpful for the locals of the rural area, who despite being very close to the capital, suffer the lack of access to the market for their organic and natural products. With a Solidarity Shop that gathers these products and promotes them to the right targeted market, there would be benefits for all the stakeholders involved.
Other cities/locations that we have identified as suitable places and contexts for our concept idea to be replicated and transferred are Permet and Gjirokaster cities in the southern Albania. They have similar architecture, similar products, almost the same tourists visiting these destinations each year, and also very similar economical and technological development.
Having such a network of Solidarity Shops in different cities, especially the most touristic and the most frequented ones, helps the visitors know the local cuisine, tastes, traditions and culture better, helps the locals get more involved in the whole process and in the life of the city, as well as helps create a more stable stream of revenue for the families involved in such an initiative.
This is the reason we have included capacity building activities in the development plan, so we can help in transferring the know-how, methodology in other locations so the concept can be replicated more easily.
We have tried to identify some of the main challenges we address by trying to provide local solutions, which in the macro seem to be global challenges. Many other countries and regions are facing similar challenges as we are, and we believe that every small local community can play an important role in addressing these global challenges. Below we have listed the main challenges we focus to address through our project idea:
Environmental Pollution - We live in a world that produces quite a lot and is not quite aware of the damage it is causing to itself. Environmental protection is the 'A' of our activities and that is why we try to take care as much as possible about it. As mentioned in the previous section, we try to provide local solutions regarding minimizing pollution by firstly trying to go almost plastic free in the packaging of the products and services offered at our enterprise.
Consumerism - we try to respect food and other locally sourced products, the time they take and the specific occasion into which they are served. One other aspect that we pay attention to is that of not wasting the food and edible products , and educating them in 'finishing' what they have in their tables, so nothing gets thrown away. We have started a collaboration with some of the local farmers, so the organic waste is used in their work as well.
Marginalized Groups - No one left behind! - Operating in the form of a social enterprise, it is vey important for Solidarity Shop Berat, to promote inclusiveness, especially for the ones who need it more, so they feel evaluated and loved, feel part of a bigger community.
Preservation of the local culture/authenticity - we try to promote the products together with the cultural values of the local community. each product/service comes with a story of its origin, the occasions in which it is made and offered; expecting important guests, birthdays, engagement and wedding days etc. Who buys, takes a piece of the city with them!
