FairTrade & Cost Calculation

Tahoua Import is a WFTO certified company that values the FairTrade trade criteria.

'How does Tahoua Import put these criteria into practice' and 'How is the purchase price calculated at the producer of a product'?
And, what is Tahoua Import's working method?

On this page we will take you through these questions!

10 Principles of FairTrade

As a WFTO-certified member, we value the 10 FairTrade criteria that have been established and we include these criteria in our business practices. These criteria can be seen in the photo.

It is of course important to pay producers a fair price, but there is much more to FairTrade entrepreneurship than that. It is important that producers can increase their capacities, have good working conditions, no child labor, etc.

WFTO Guaranteed member & regular audits

Tahoua Import is a WFTO certified company. This means that we are audited annually to check whether we really use the FairTrade criteria.

Some of these audits also take place on site at our producers. This often happens unexpectedly and when we are not present, so that reliability can be guaranteed.

As Tahoua Import we like to be certified, so that we can guarantee you that we really do our utmost to do business in a FairTrade manner.

Trainings for producers

We regularly organize training courses for our producers where we discuss aspects of FairTrade.

For example, we mention the importance of safety measures in the workplace (example: welding goggles when welding bronze) and discuss the issues that are important to the group.

This training is provided by an employee of the local World Fair Trade Organisation.

Long-term partnerships with producers

We believe it is important to build a relationship with our producers and to continue product development with them. By creating this continuity in sales, the impact for the producer is much greater than an incidental purchase. In addition, you get much further together in this way. We have a warm relationship with our producers and work together on an accessible basis.

Some of our producers became suppliers 30 years ago, when Cecile Meeuwsen started Tahoua Import, and we already have a loyal and pleasant collaboration with some of them.

Calculating the cost price (price we pay the producer)

For the calculation example of a cost price, we take a small bronze statue.

First of all, we calculate the wage that a producer should receive per day for labor using the food basket (calculation tool to calculate living income).

Then we determine - together with the producer - how many statues he could make in a day. In this case 2 statues.

Per statue he must receive half a day's labor (5000CFA). Also calculated (based on how many statues he could make per month) is what the rent of the studio is per statue and the price of electricity per statue.

Finally, we calculate the materials needed to make a statue, such as charcoal, beeswax, the bronze itself and the pattinage.

All these amounts added together form the cost price: the amount that we have to pay to the producer.