The Made in Macedonia program, implemented by Aid to Artisans (ATA), works with artisans and small and medium-sized enterprises in Macedonia to develop local and export markets for traditional and contemporary craft products, thus increasing incomes and creating employment. ATA provides technical assistance in the form of business training, product development, and marketing, giving artisans the necessary skills to generate and maintain sales beyond the life of the project.
The project aims to:
- To foster the development of and improve the business performance of artisan enterprises.
- To generate productive employment in the crafts sector by working with artisans and craft organizations to create quality, market-driven products and to improve production capacity, so that craft enterprises can respond successfully to orders.
- To establish local capacity and trade models needed to sustain market momentum beyond the project and ensure that craft trade remains a long-term source of employment and community-based economic growth.
- ATA’s activities target rural and urban artisan micro-entrepreneurs and their families, managers and employees of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), craft associations and organizations, and exporters.
The project’s current activities include:
Export market development:
ATA promotes Macedonian products in international markets through direct exhibition, sales representation, on-line client access to current product lines, and ATA's Trade Network. Macedonian products are represented by ATA and importer clients at wholesale and FOB trade shows in New York, Frankfurt, Birmingham and Paris during August and February show cycles. Macedonian craft-based SMEs have “graduated” to representing their companies directly to clients at volume shows, using promotional materials, product line development capability, communication and follow-up. Through these shows Macedonian producers develop a steady client base of foreign importers. Prior to each show cycle, ATA works with up to 15 different producer groups to develop new product collections. In addition to exhibiting at trade fairs, ATA develops relationships with potential buyers, from small-scale importers to large importer-retailer chains, through a network of sales representatives working in Europe and the US. ATA also facilitates regional direct to retail sales through exposure at Artigiano in Fiere/Milan, Bath/England, and Croatia, to name a few.
Local retail development:
ATA promotes sales of crafts in the domestic market through craft fairs and partnerships with local retailers in Skopje, Ohrid and Gevgelija.
Craft fairs:Annual Holiday Bazaars in December, and Spring Bazaars in May are much-anticipated events, both as sales venues for over 70 artisan groups (with sales of over $50,000) and as shopping opportunities for the public. Other retailers who understand the potential of handmade Macedonian items in the domestic market use the fairs as a chance to source new production and make contacts with new artisans. ATA has also facilitated artisan participation in the Skopje Furniture Fair, MCA’s Competitiveness event and Wine and Cheese festival, Agrofood and Tourism Fair, American Chamber of Commerce charity programs, Swiss Day, and other promotional events.
Local retail partners: ATA is working with a network of four retail partners throughout the country to access the local and tourist market for handcraft products. Current retail partners in Gevgalia, Ohrid, and Skopje are mentored in merchandising, customer service and retail display, and are connected to ATA's network of producers.
Product design assistance:
ATA contracts experienced design professionals, both international and local, with experience in home and fashion accessories categories to work with ATA staff and artisans to produce items that are appealing and appropriately priced for target markets. ATA also employs local designers to implement new designs and modify current collections for raw material availability and technical efficiency.
In order to identify and develop local design talent, ATA holds an annual Design Competition. The third Design Awards ceremony was held in July 2005 to recognize the top three submissions for creative and practical design, and was awarded five honorable mentions.
Training:
ATA's staff, designers, and marketing consultants provide formal training and ongoing informal coaching. Most training takes place locally, but many artisans learn about foreign markets firsthand. 30 Macedonians have participated in Aid to Artisans' trainings in the US through World Learning, including a 10-day Market Readiness Program in NY, a furniture sector study and trade show tour to the High Point Market in North Carolina, and scouting sessions of the Milan Furniture Show and Istanbul Jewelry Fair. Retail partners, SME owners, NGOs, family businesses, exporters, designers, and individual craft producers receive support and capacity-building activities through Aid to Artisans.
In order to build on the momentum of the Made in Macedonia program, and attend to longer-term craft sector development needs, local experts from ATA’s program have registered a non-profit organization, the Macedonian Artisan Trade Association (MATA) or Zanaeci…. This is in response to artisan partners’ expressed need for continued assistance beyond the close of the ATA program due to persistent external constraints in the Macedonian economy. MATA will focus on institutional building as well as program activities such as craft sector organization and local market access.
For more information:
U.S.Agency for International Development
U.S Embassy, Samoilova 21,1000 Skopje, Macedonia
Telephone: +(389) 2 310 2000 Fax +(389) 2 310 2463
USAID Mission contact:
Meri Cuculoska
E-mail: mcuculoska@usaid.gov
USAID Development Outreach and Communication office
Biljana Velickovska, DOC Specialist