Swaziland

Visit to Eswatini.

Five years ago we received a letter from a factory in Swaziland asking whether we would be willing to distribute their products in the UK. We had run a small wholesale business in the late 80s and early 90s but had felt it then necessary to concentrate on running the shop. Wisely or unwisely, we decided to give it a go and we’ve been hooked ever since. We started in our dining room, moved out to our half-cellar and then last year began renting a warehouse. We have moved again this year to larger premises. We visited two years ago and were impressed by the level of dedication and care which the staff give to their work and to providing an income and opportunities for self-improvement for very poor farmers.

Eswatini is owned by Manzini Youth Care (MYC), a local community-based NGO, which works with orphans and street-kids, running six residential homes, bridging courses to get kids who have dropped out back into main-stream education, and training programmes for school leavers. Eswatini was set up by MYC with the dual aim of raising funds for their work and of providing ‘direct and indirect employment in Swaziland by using the produce of small-scale local farmers to manufacture for the global market good quality, pure, natural and nutritional preserves and sauces that do not contain additives, preservatives or artificial colorants and that are as affordable as possible.’

Mildred Henwood was appointed manager 13 years ago and has run the factory ever since. The management team (accounts, quality control, cutting, cooking, packing) are all women, as are all the workers in the departments. There is one male driver. Initially, they also only brought produce from women, but they now also deal with some men. Their suppliers vary from farmers with small plantations, women’s cooperatives with land allocated by the local chief and small producers who bring the produce in from their gardens. There are groups of handicapped women supplying spoons and some 200 women plaiting local grasses for baskets for the gift packs. Sugar comes from the Swazi sugar company which processes sugar from many of the small local producers. Fair Trade Holland is currently applying for the Fairtrade mark for the sugar.

The factory is carefully monitored and has received much help from the Dutch getting to grips with EU regulations. They work with a South African QA body, have their own lab for testing water activity, sugar content and ph and get other tests done externally. Each batch is tested before it leaves the factory.

The demands of MYC’s work clearly impose a constant strain on their finances. Swaziland is a country with great extremes of wealth and poverty (70% live on under a dollar a day), one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection in the world and some 80 000 orphans in a population of a million. MYC can always use more money. Cash flow problems are never far away. Last year there was an unexpected fall in orders (not from us/you!); as a result there were problems in December to February when most of the fruit has to be brought and school fees paid. This caused a delay in our order, while they waited to be able to buy jars. We pre-pay 40% of each new order to help with these problems but they never altogether go away.

We were impressed by the friendliness of the staff and workers. Some of them have come from rehab. programmes for people with handicaps. Eswatini has worked with them on their literacy, so that they can understand the forms they have to complete for QA purposes. We were particularly struck by the confidence and competence of the departmental managers. Swaziland is a polygamous society where women have little independence and say in affairs. Eswatini is working hard and effectively to empower women economically, so that they can have greater control over their lives. So we were deeply moved by the energy and commitment and creativity of this wonderful group of women.

Each year we have been able to increase the amount of their goods that we have bought (2005: US$18 500; 2006: US$ 24 000; 2007: US$83 000). This year we expect to top the US$100 000 mark. We have also had a steady increase increase in the number of customers each year. We now have over 100 customers, One World shops, church stalls and some bigger customers like Oxfam and Traidcraft. We very much hope that they will stay with us and that we will make many more!

A word about the fair trade status of Eswatini. Eswatini clearly meets the criteria of fair trade. It pays fair wages to its staff and fair prices to its suppliers; it contributes significantly to the community through MYC; we have given a long term commitment to them to purchase; we pay the price they ask and we will make a 40% prepayment. The sugar used is being assessed for the FT mark and comes in large measure from small scale farmers. Despite all this we shall not be able to get a FT mark for the products. The reason for this is a little complicated. Were they manufactured in the UK they would be eligible for the FT mark from the Fairtrade Foundation in London if 30% of the ingredients were certified fairly traded. However, as they are made overseas, they need to be certified by FLO-Cert in Bonn, who require that all the ingredients should be certified as fairly traded. This is hardly an option with the number of different ingredients and suppliers (think of what would be involved with Mixed Fruit Chutney!). So, despite the fact that the value added to the fruit and sugar is being added in Swaziland and that the ingredients are being supplied for the large part by small scale farmers in one of the poorest countries in Africa, there is no immediate prospect of getting them FT marked. We do however state that it is fairly traded on the labels.

John and Nena Riches.