The women of Ai-Funan do eco-entrepreneurship right.
In the Timorese language, Ai-Funan means flower — the perfect symbol for the Ai-Funan soap company. From its fledgling start as a small-scale women’s cooperative, Ai-Funan has blossomed and bloomed into an eco-aware entrepreneurship with fair trade practices, outstanding products, and happy customers all around the world.
The Ai-Funan soap cooperative began when a small group of women in East Timor sought a way to support their families. Since gaining independence in 2002, East Timor has struggled to overcome social and economic woes — nearly 40 percent of the population currently lives below the international poverty line, and years of violence during the fight for independence have left an indelible mark upon industry and infrastructure.
But the country is developing, and quickly. East Timor’s GDP growth rates are some of the highest in the world, and every year education and income improve. Much of this progress is reliant upon self-empowerment and entrepreneurship: two of Ai-Funan’s key values. The women of Ai-Funan started a small business, but with help from the charitable Hummingfish Foundation, Ai-Funan has flourished in domestic and international markets. Ai-Funan even landed a partership with Cathay Pacific Airlines in 2013.
Every Ai-Funan soap is handcrafted from all-natural and local ingredients, including virgin oils and sustainably harvested silk threads — making for a bath-and-body product both luxurious and eco-friendly. The women of Ai-Funan bring income to their families while demonstrating to communities near and far the power of entrepreneurship that works with, rather than against, the environment.
Coconut, lemongrass, franipiani, coffee and candlenut: Ai-Funan soap scents evoke nature and beauty, and the brand stays true to those principles in every aspect of its cooperative, eco-aware business. Luxe, handmade products that bring prosperity to developing communities: with Ai-Funan, this idea is taking root.
phatriceblog 