Finding the source

Hello Everybody!

Tomorrow we'll have been in Kenya for a week and already so much has happened. We were in Nairobi the first five days and then took a train out to Mombasa this past Friday. This blog is an attempt to give you a glimpse of what we did during those five days in Nairobi. Our purpose there was to build a supply chain for Second Avenue Trade. It is our desire to develop DIRECT trade relations. By that, we mean buying directly from those who are making the product. That is easier said than done sometimes.

Outside of organizing a co-op of women ourselves (what we're doing in Uganda)... we have to get out and find the source ourselves. That means very, very long days pounding a lot of pavement, usually skipping lunch or eating really late, lots of crowed noisey matatu rides, and worst of all dealing with "sharks"(that's what we call the brokers or middle-men).

A lot of times we start in the market. We were in Nairobi earlier this year in April and spent a whole day at the Masai Market. We found product we liked, bought small amounts to test the american market, and built a list of contacts. Sometimes the person selling at the market is the actual artisan... sometimes not.

We found two of the guys we had done business with earlier this year (they were the actual artisans)... and through a series of events located a co-op of wood carvers, two brothers who manufacture bone products, and a group of talented artists in the village of Gachie who craft anything you could ever want out of banana leaves.

I wish I could go into more detail about how we go about this, but that will have to wait for a personal conversation when we get back. Let's just say it's risky and challenging, but very, very rewarding... that's probably why I enjoy it so much.

I have to end here... but below are some pics from Nairobi. I apollogize for their layout. I had some problems and it's not so easy to fix things over here. I plan on posting another blog this weekend highlighting our time in Mombasa. I hope you enjoy!!


This is a man carving a statue. He was a part of the co-op we found in Nairobi.


Meet Richard... he's a "shark" We're smiling but don't let it fool you. We don't trust him one bit. Sharks try and scam us and we use them. He led us to the co-op above. Thanks Richard!

If you bought a pair of aluminum or brass earrings from us, there is a good chance this man made them. Incredible craftsmanship. His son, Gabriel runs the business and also makes earrings.

David and Jack working out a deal. Jack does a lot of bead work. Great guy!! We bought some really cool multi-line necklaces from him.

Light pouring in against bone dust in the basement (where the bone workshop is) of a multi level building on the out skirts of Nairobi. It was pretty intense!

This pic is out of order (as far as the creation process) but this is where they do the final touches on the bone jewelry. Still in the basement.... but you can breathe a little better in this room.

Camel bones... mmmm... I'm thinking about making some soup! The big white dots are flakes of bone floating in the air.

















Turning nasty bones into beautiful jewelry. Don't freak out on us and think we are promoting sweat shops!!! These guys are of age and very grateful for their jobs. We are looking forward to helping the owners improve the working conditions as our business relationship progresses.















Meet Benson (in the middle) and his little bro. They are the owners of the bone workshop. They started by making the bone themselves (just like the previous photo) and have grown so much that before the election violence earlier this year they had 20 employees. They almost went out of business during the unrest, but Benson sold his car and they made other personal sacrifices to keep the business going. They had to cut the staff down to nine. Benson is an incredible guy with great vision.















Meet Geoffrey. He lives in a small village outside of Nairobi called Gachie. He can make anything out of some wire and banana leaves!


Promote Trade, Create Jobs, Change Lives.... that is the goal of Second Avenue Trade Co. This trip is the beginning of some very exciting equitable business relationships and the opportunity to see lives changed through mutual benefits in commerce.

Compassion=Action,

-Travis