Ethiopia firm recycling tyres into shoes does big business via internet
Baku, March 16 (AZERTAC). Old truck tyres never die, they just turn into sandals. For decades that has been the tradition in Ethiopia, where everyone from farmers to guerrilla fighters has fashioned worn-out road rubber into cheap, long-lasting footwear.
But now, thanks to a young woman entrepreneur who has combined the internet's selling power with nimble business practices more often associated with Asian countries, the idea has been turned into an unlikely international hit. By adding funky cotton and leather uppers to recycled tyre soles, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu has sold many thousands of pairs of handmade flip-flops, boat shoes, loafers and Converse-style trainers to foreign customers.
In the run-up to Christmas, workers at the soleRebels "factory" - a small house on the outskirts of the Ethiopian capital - were frantically cutting, sewing and gluing to fulfil internet purchases from customers as far away as Canada and Australia. Alemu's brother packed pairs of cotton and suede trainers into a box about to be couriered to Amazon.com, the company's main customer, which receives the shoes in the US three to five days after placing its bulk order. "We are sitting in Addis Ababa but acting like an American company," said Alemu, an excitable 30-year-old former accountant who is fond of reeling off the numbers that illustrate her firm’s rapid growth.
Tracking international shoe fashion trends on the web, Alemu designed a range of footwear. After receiving international fair trade certification, Alemu began bombarding US stores and websites with emails and samples. The business really took off when Amazon signed up as a customer. Alemu is an evangelist for the online business model, saying it allows the company "to understand the market needs and demands in real time". SoleRebels negotiates directly with retailers, doing everything from ordering processing to credit collection itself, and ensures most of the final sales price remains in Ethiopia. As a result, Alemu said, she can pay her staff between £1.20 a day for trainees and £7 a day for experienced artisans - good wages by local standards. In turn, the government earns more taxes, spurring more development.
Other news in this section
