Rodriguez crafts winning bet

The dizzying development that Rodrigues has experienced in recent years has not left its artisans standing idly by, offering products that have managed to gain a foothold in a complex market by anticipating consumer needs.

Gone are the days when the Rodrigo craft was limited to baskets made from vacuum fibers. It is a bet that will be fully won thanks to its ability to diversify into other products and anticipate customer needs. This sector, made up almost entirely of women, demonstrated this during the visit of an 80-person delegation from August 19 to 25, whose main goal was to increase the visibility of the autonomous island among potential local and international tourists. In the luggage of the delegation members were not only traditional products, but also new ones, especially for their packaging and beautiful presentation, which other types of markets, especially buyers who pay attention to the hygiene of food at the production site, cannot envy.

Angel Craft Adventures

Marie Angélique, director of Angelikraft, is one of the artisans who dared to take a new step in the Rodrigo craft market. What prompted her to try such a risk? It was the influence of the training she received five years ago, provided by Switch Africa, an aid project designed and financed by the European Union. The main goal of this program is to support the countries of the African continent in their transition to a sustainable development model, whose activities do not harm the future of future generations. This training gave Marie Angélique the tools she needed to explore potential opportunities and identify new business areas.

Marie Angélique chose to produce glycerin-based products such as candles, soaps and cosmetics. “I import my raw materials from Mauritius. That is why the cost of my products is relatively higher than those whose raw materials are available locally. Initially, we had to take into account the hesitation of customers, who were not used to encountering such sophisticated market-specific products in the Rodrigues market. The hesitation at this stage has been overcome. Customers have understood that the Rodrigues Artisanal Market has developed and this is the logical continuation of its development.”

Angelikraft’s taste for adventure and desire to offer new products to the craft market gave rise to a project that aims to reevaluate the medicinal properties of plants that grandmothers used to treat various ailments. Among these plants, lemongrass fights anxiety, high blood pressure and even repels mosquitoes; Peru balsam is effective in treating skin diseases such as eczema, psoriasis and acne; rosemary has the ability to fight rheumatic pain or blood circulation disorders. This list includes ayapana, which is grown in the backyard of the Rodriguá family and is famous for its ability to stimulate digestion and relieve nausea.

Miel’s new heights

Another example of Victoria’s transition from traditional crafts to a more sophisticated market is Miel Victoria Ltée, an avant-garde small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) in terms of its operating model. As the production of honey is no longer limited to sales in small residences, it has led to the design, manufacture and sale of a range of related products, including sweets, soaps, creams and balms for facial care, hair and body care. This business is the result of the determination of Marie Claude Donzé, who adopted Rodrigues and established it there for many years with the aim of developing an activity that would enable women to emancipate themselves economically.

It is no coincidence that the first name on the top of Miel Victoria’s employee business cards is the Rodrigues Association of Entrepreneurial Women (AREF), founded in 1999. Its main goal is to support Rodrigues women who want to start their own business. Their business. AREF was inspired by Entreprendre au Féminin Océan indian, a network that brings together female entrepreneurs from the Indian Ocean islands, especially Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion and Seychelles.

Innovation and sustainable development

The Women and Handicrafts Commission is no stranger to the liberation of Rodrigues artisans. A training program on the production of fashion accessories from recycled products has laid the foundations for women and young people to propose projects that demonstrate their determination to give full play to the innovation card in a sustainable way, taking into account the rights of women and young people of future generations. The Indian Ocean Commission fully supports this initiative, which is funded by the African Development Bank.

In this way, the participants of the training program acquire multiple tools to ensure their ambitions to develop in a more complex market. It is about acquiring the tools and knowledge necessary to develop in the recycling industry, as well as the ability to create jewelry and other accessories, and to start basic marketing and sales techniques in a complex market.

Two styles coexist peacefully

Does the rapid rise of these avant-garde companies herald the demise or decline of Rodrigues’ craft specialties, such as vacoa fiber baskets? That’s not the view of Noëlle Veerapen Pasnin, director of Fleur d’Or, a company based in the village of Rivière-Coco, south of Rodrigues, known for its women’s emphasis on cleanliness and environmental protection. “There is no problem with the two types of production coexisting”she said. His daughter, who studies art in school, contributed to the design of the basket products. “I go to the Port Mathurin fair to sell my products. Sales are going well. People go home and buy them. I receive orders on my phone.»

Cleanliness

For those who may not be able to go further, is craftsmanship, both traditional and in more sophisticated forms, the destination’s most important attraction? Not so sure, this resident of Camp Levieux in Rose Hill told us: “Let me tell you, I’ve been to Rodriguez. Several people who have been there have made the same observation as I have. What impressed me most was how clean the place was.” This suggests that, in the eyes of some, cleanliness and respect for the environment are the most important factors for this destination.

One of the highlights of this important Rodrigues delegation’s visit to Mauritius was their participation in the Ready-to-Party Show held at the Pailles Swami Vivekananda Centre from Friday, August 23 to Sunday, August 25. The Rodrigues government hopes to promote the destination through this event.