Published: Jun 5, 2016 - Posted by: ...
IN THIS ISSUE
The SuperBowl was this past weekend and the Black Eyed Peas were the half-time show attraction. Our family hosts a gathering for the big event every year and we watch a lot of football leading up to the day. The ads this year got the Black Eyed Peas hit “I’ve Gotta Feeling” running through my head again just as it had stopped being overplayed on the radio.
But it is a fun song, you have to admit, and for 2011…we’ve gotta feeling that this year’s gonna be a good, good year! A good year for our partners in the villages, and for each of us who gets to work with them and we can’t wait to roll out some exciting stories over the course of this year for you.
This issue takes on our new format for the year. We will have 6 issues in total and each one will have 3 core features:
It’s all about building a movement and we hope you enjoy our new format AND decide to join us.
Angie Draskovic, Founder & CEO
ZC Pulse: Building a MovementIn each issue the ZC Pulse brings you an interview with a corporate leader who has taken the challenge. More companies are taking the challenge every day. This issue we have the opportunity to meet Anna Eliopoulos, President & Founder, Peter & Paul’s, Baskets and Gifts Inc.
COMPANY BACKGROUND
Peter & Paul’s, Baskets and Gifts Inc.,www.peterandpaulsbaskets.com offers the latest unique gifts, boutique baskets, and corporate promotional items with innovative ideas for any occasion or event. Peter & Paul’s, Baskets and Gifts Inc., has enjoyed many successes over the last 28 years in business, and is one of Canada’s largest gift giving companies. We are continuously evolving and growing to meet the ever-changing needs of our clients and always looking for ways to be leaders and innovators.
Q: What attracted you to the idea of purchasing/representing fair trade products and taking the ZOË Challenge?
I found The ZOË Challenge to be a perfect blend enabling us to promote social responsibility within our organization
Q: I can see how it benefits the producer and it sounds like a nice “warm and fuzzy” idea, but how does it benefit your business and your clients?
Don’t get us wrong. The product has to be different, great quality and at competitive price points to attract our clients. Incorporating it into our CSR program is a bonus and makes Peter & Paul’s stand out
Q: In many businesses there are barriers to taking on a new supplier or a small supplier, is this concept worth the headache of taking on the system? Why?
Big or small, it is how the supplier runs their infrastructure that is the most important. Are the quantities available, production and delivery seamless, quality exceptional etc. All of the above has been exceeded with All of the above has been exceeded with ZOË Alliance…
Q: Your company is already giving donations and you already have significant activity in contributing to the community. What is the reason that you chose to include impoverished and marginalized producers in your supplier pool?
The possible outreach that it symbolizes on a global scale. The movement must start somewhere and if we can be a part of the many corporations to participate it helps lend to that movement. Plus as a staple in the gifting sector we make a statement and a presence by offering products that can be incorporated into a CSR program. As I have developed P & P over
Q: How does it feel to know the names of the people who are directly benefiting from your order?
Clients are more and more looking for that personal gift. Knowing that the gift is not only hand crafted but comes with a ‘face’ to it only helps justify and reward the impact that that gift has made.
Q: Any other comments about the possibilities of this movement if everyone took it on?
We have done our own market research and the gifting, promotional and donations sector does have staggering numbers even through tighter times and diminished budgets. Never would we have thought about the impact that only 10% could make until ZOË Alliance came on the scene. Promoting CSR with clients is one thing but truly understanding the numbers and possibilities is another.
Thank you to Anna and the whole team at Peter & Paul’s for joining the Alliance and Taking the Challenge! We are all another step closer to our goal because of you.
Seasonal Spotlight$0.95 each.
“I was delighted by the quality of this pen, it has become my favorite, it writes so well!” Lorie Hartshorn – Equip Canada
Contact us at (647) 477-4377 or online at info@zoealliance.com with your next requirement and let our team quote a solution for your event.
This issue we have very exciting news from the village. The medical
clinic that Mercy Abraham Imondi, General Trustee of Mahalir Aran
Trust, has dreamed of providing for the community is fast becoming a reality.
In November of 2010, the building began and just recently the well was established to supply the centre. It was incredibly successful, as many know the water table in India is dangerously low and the entire team was delighted when the first sign of water was found at only 55 feet in depth.
Drilling a bore-well is a very expensive proposition and sometimes, it can result in no water. After a full day of drilling a 500 foot well, it was declared a resounding success with plenty of water for the medical clinic.
The clinic should be finished up for May with the grand opening in September of this year. All in all it will serve over 400 families whose next closest medical option is a 15km walk away. There will be two doctors, an eye surgeon and a general practitioner as well as a full time nurse.
The team sends best wishes to all of us here.
There are many more women waiting
to be trained to work in the Flowering Desert Production Unit of
Mahalir Aran Trust and thanks to the clinic, they’ll soon be able to have their families medical needs tended to near by as well.
Congratulations to our friends Janet Rogers of VIA Design and Mercy & Vinci Imondi for making the dream come true.
Choose 1 event each year where gift spending reflects approximately 10% of what is spent overall;
1 Approval
Get executive approval to buy items produced in accordance with fair trade principles for this event’s gifts from a reputable vendor;
1 Time a Year
Repeat every year – make this a part of annual CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) plan.
If you like the idea but don’t know where to start, give us a call at 647-477-4377, or drop a line at info@zoealliance.com and if we can’t help you, we’ll recommend someone who can.
News & LinksUPCOMING COVERAGE:
Look for coverage of ZOË Alliance in your next issues of:
Meetings & Incentive Travel Magazine
Ignite Magazine or (Link to pdf version of article)
KEY LINKS:
ZOË Challenge Video (I Can Do That!)
Press Release Take the Challenge (Think 1:1:1)
TV News Segment November 23, 2010
Interview with Chris Chopik of Evolution Green
Some Thoughts from Our BlogHave you been following the ZOË weekly blogs? It’s a great way to keep in touch with the current activities of both ZOË Alliance and our founder, Angie.
Here are a couple of her more recent blogs that we think you would enjoy:
2011 in Focus: Creating a Movement
Equip Finds a New Way to Equip Leaders
ZOË Alliance Inc. is a social enterprise that harnesses what we spend to help developing nations break the cycle of poverty.
ZOË Alliance helps people and companies transform impoverished villages with their regular purchases. We stretch each dollar spent on a personal or corporate gift three ways: to purchase a gift that tells the stroy of hope; to create jobs with dignity in villages; and to donate funds toward a school or village project.
We also help companies link their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives to the bottom line by making it easy to source high quality, profitable products from producer groups in villages around the globe.
Contact Us ZOË Alliance Inc. 15-75 Bayly Street West, Suite 279,Ajax, ON Canada L1S 7K7(647) 477-4377 info@zoealliance.com www.zoealliance.com
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