On this episode of The Voice of Retail, I sit down with Treana Peake to talk about the story of Obakki, how she fosters a symbiotic relationship between philanthropy and retail, and how she manages intricate supply chains as an independent retailer in unprecedented times.
Welcome to the The Voice of Retail , I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.
Treana Peake has devoted her life to spreading the care that she experienced in her smalltown, Albertan upbringing around the world.
As a philanthropist first, and a retailer second, Obakki has become a space for both utilizing and transforming the structures of traditional retail. Obakki is a purpose-led lifestyle brand that connects people through modern design. This online and Vancouver-based brick-and-mortar brand offers homeware products made by artisans all over the world while upholding three principles: sustainability, traceability and ethical production.
On this episode of The Voice of Retail, I sit down with Treana to talk about the story of Obakki, how she fosters a symbiotic relationship between philanthropy and retail, and how she manages intricate supply chains as an independent retailer in unprecedented times.
Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of The Voice of Retail. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss out on the latest episodes, industry news, and insights. If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a rating and review, as it really helps us grow so that we can continue getting amazing guests on the show.
I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company, and if you’re looking for more content, or want to chat follow me on LinkedIn, or visit my website meleblanc.co!
Until next time, stay safe and have a great week!
Michael LeBlanc is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. You can learn more about Michael here or on LinkedIn.
Treana Peake passion for travel and eye for design, combined with her lifelong dedication to making a difference in the world, inspired her to launch Obakki in 2005. The Obakki Foundation, its philanthropic counterpart, followed shortly thereafter.
For decades she has travelled the globe, always on the lookout for opportunities to wander off the beaten path to connect with people and their stories.
Recognized as an influential speaker in the field of social entrepreneurship, Treana has spoken about modern philanthropic solutions in front of the U.S. Congress and the United Nations, and has been featured as a TED Talk presenter speaking on the power of selfless giving. In addition, her hands-on work in the field has been recognized and endorsed by the UN, UNICEF and The Carter Center.
Treana has travelled to Africa over 70 times, often with the Obakki Foundation (our philanthropic counterpart), where she’s formed partnerships with people and communities that have lasted decades.
Treana herself meets with each of our artisan partners, fostering genuine relationships around the globe to ensure that the highest levels of dignity, respect and social responsibility are upheld as we work with these vital communities.
From remote villages in Mexico to the world's largest refugee resettlement area in Uganda, Treana consistently forms lasting relationships with Obakki’s artisan partners. She is committed to preserving, progressing, and celebrating the diverse craft cultures around the world—while also creating sustainable change.
Michael LeBlanc 00:04
Welcome to The Voice of Retail. I'm your host Michael LeBlanc. This podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.
Michael LeBlanc 00:09
Treana Peake has devoted her life to spreading the care that she experienced in her smalltown, Albertan upbringing around the world.
Michael LeBlanc 00:16
As a philanthropist first, and a retailer second, Obakki has become a space for both utilizing and transforming the structures of traditional retail. Obakki is a purpose-led lifestyle brand that connects people through modern design. This online and Vancouver-based brick-and-mortar retail brand offers homeware products made by artisans all over the world while upholding three principles, sustainability, traceability, and ethical production.
Michael LeBlanc 00:41
On this episode of The Voice of Retail, I sit down with Treana to talk about the story of Obakki, how she fosters a symbiotic relationship between philanthropy and retail, and how she manages intricate supply chains as an independent retailer in unprecedented times.
Treana Peake 00:54
I measure success in the lives of the people, you know, that we impact. And my artisan goals are my goals as a company. And I think I'm in a unique position because we are so purpose driven that the bottom line, of course, we need to make money in order to reach artists and send you more work.
Michael LeBlanc 01:12
Let's listen in now.
Michael LeBlanc 01:14
Treana, welcome to The Voice of Retail podcast. How are you doing this morning?
Treana Peake 01:17
I'm good, Michael. Thanks for having me.
Michael LeBlanc 01:20
Well, thanks for joining me so early in the morning. You and I were chatting off mic, it was kind of funny as, as these things go and you had just arrived and the system was connecting and I could hear you drop your keys to the door and you're ready to go. So, thank you for taking the time to join me before your day gets busy and, and talk about all things retail. All things about what you do. It's a, you've got a fascinating origin story, and you're doing some amazing things. So, I'm really excited, really excited to learn more and get in.
Michael LeBlanc 01:49
Let's start at the beginning. Let's talk about your origin story a bit about yourself and, and how you got into doing what you're doing. And of course, how you got into retail.
Treana Peake 01:59
Yeah, well that, you know, I'm a Albertan girl, smalltown girl. I grew up in a little tiny town called Hanna and I think we had maybe 2500 people in our town. So, I think at that age, I really started being quite philanthropic. So, I was more about, you know, getting into regions of the world, hosting fundraisers, going to Africa, going to Romania going all these different places. And so, really I started in philanthropy, not in retail. When we ended up moving to Vancouver, I thought, you know what, I'm going to start Obakki, which is my retail brand. And you know, because I'm a creative person, and I saw,
Treana Peake 02:42
A need in the market. And I thought it could be a really great brand to build from scratch. And you know, over time, I ended up taking Obakki and Obakki Foundation, which is it's philanthropic counterpart, and kind of merging them together, which is really led me to where I am today. It's quite an interesting smash up of the world, Sofia would say,
Michael LeBlanc 02:42
Yeah,
Michael LeBlanc 03:03
Right on. Let's talk about, let me pull on a few threads in there, so to speak, why that part of the world, what it is, what interests you? There are lots of parts of the world you could have been interested in. And what do you think sparked in your life, that kind of desire for, for, to help you basically, and then we'll get to the retail part, because I'm super interested in that as well.
Treana Peake 03:23
Sure, so, you know, as a young child in that smalltown, you know, my mom and I, and, you know, we lived together in this home, and we were struggling to make ends meet as many families do. But there was a stranger who would slip a white envelope of money under our door every year. And I remember being a really, really young child, and seeing that money come through and, and looking at the envelope, and to me, it was less about the money that was inside, although that was something that you know, what make my mom, you know, really happy every year,
Michael LeBlanc 03:56
Sure, sure,
Treana Peake 03:57
Of course, and take the pressure off and the stress off of her, but you know, I just sit and stare at that envelope and go, 'Who is this person? And, why is it an unmarked letter? And, why can I not thank the person who's dropped it off?'. And so, for me, I just started to focus on what type of person that was that would do something year after year to help a family and not expect anything back in return.
Treana Peake 04:23
And so, I think, really, as a young child that's started to form who I want it to be as a person. And I really like that idea of not being able to close that loop of giving, because it makes you as a person go, 'Okay, I was really grateful to receive that. I'm very lucky to receive that. But now what do I do with all of that? I can't go back to that person say, Okay, thank you'
Michael LeBlanc 04:46
Right, right.
Treana Peake 04:46
And the loop is closed it in a way without sounding cliche, I wanted to pay that forward. I wanted to find ways to carry that on throughout my own life. And so, that really did set the way and paved the way for my life of philanthropy.
Michael LeBlanc 04:59
Wow, so interesting. I mean, I often talk to retailers about this intersection of the personal and the professional, but you're really making it come to life.
Michael LeBlanc 05:07
Now, why parts of Africa? What interested you about, and I think you, you do the work in particular country. So unpack that for me a little bit.
Treana Peake 05:16
Right. So, Africa was just a place where I started. I mean, I was going to Romania and some other countries traveling really young, doing fundraisers, that sort of thing. And Africa was an interesting one, because we had formed this small nonprofit, and it was kind of a no name, nonprofit. But we did have a website and a horrible graphic. And you know, I don't even think anyone went to visit us except one man from the middle of the jungle in Cameroon, actually, in a village, really rural village, called Way Wah. His name is Lucky Tombow. And he went to our website and sent us a message and said, 'Hey, I seen you're doing great things in the world. Why don't you come visit my village? We don't have any water. We don't have a school. We don't have health care. What do you think?' And so, it was me and a friend of mine. I'm like, 'All right, let's go'. So here we go. I sold my car and, because that's the only way I could afford it,
Michael LeBlanc 06:11
Wait, so wait, wait. You get some person at this point. Named Lucky, who's clear-, was, who was clearly lucky, as a turned out. Just reaches out to you, and you sell your car and go. Right? Is this what you telling me?
Treana Peake 06:26
Yes. I do not want people to start emailing me after this podcast, because I don't do that anymore. However,
Michael LeBlanc 06:33
To be quite clear, you like your car, you like the car you got.
Treana Peake 06:37
That's really yeah, that's really how it started. And,
Michael LeBlanc 06:40
Wow,
Treana Peake 06:40
When I sold my car, we went there. We hiked and trekked for days to get to this village. And that's where we started. And actually, Lucky Tombow is now the Minister of Education in Cameroon. He's like, it's just,
Michael LeBlanc 06:53
Yeah,
Treana Peake 06:53
And here I am doing this. And, you know, it's, it was quite an amazing journey that we all took together. But we brought clean water to the village,
Michael LeBlanc 07:01
Wow,
Treana Peake 07:01
We brought our schools to the village and, and really then the village took it from there. And when you go back now, it's just this thriving metropolis, where all,
Michael LeBlanc 07:09
Just needed a bit of help, right? just needed a hand up.
Treana Peake 07:11
Just a couple doors open. That's really all we did. But yeah,
Michael LeBlanc 07:15
Fantastic. All right, well, let's talk about, let's talk about Obakki. Let's get into this retail thing. How do you going to market? What's your typical customer look like? Talk about your assortment. So, there's a whole story there, unpack that for the listeners.
Treana Peake 07:29
Right, so really, coming from a background in philanthropy and development, I spent 30 years traveling the globe, going to South Sudan, Uganda, refugee zones, Mali, all these different regions of the world continuing to do philanthropy. And in doing so, you know, I had a fashion brand Obakki. And it was purely, you know, we're showcasing all over the world and wholesaling, and we had our own retail location. And when I, I was in these villages, I started to see these artisans, who, you know, we were primarily doing water wells. But then once we started doing water, you started to see the economy start to shift a little bit, and women would start to plant gardens or women would start to go back to their traditional craft, and so,
Michael LeBlanc 08:10
Get beyond survival, basically, so open up to, to, to do other things, right?
Treana Peake 08:14
Exactly, exactly. And so, I started, you know, I'd be in the middle of a rural village, the middle of nowhere, and someone would come up with this amazing pot, you know, ceramic, you know, based pot, and I'd be like, 'Wow, those are incredible. Where are you selling those?'
Treana Peake 08:28
And so, I worked with the foundation to establish their local market so that they'd be sustainable with or without us. But then once you know, my Obakki Foundation, had been able to help bridge some of those local gaps, then Obakki Designs, my retail fashion company, design company, started buying product. And that's kind of led us to where we are today.
Treana Peake 08:49
We have, we're working with a, you know, artisans, 36 different artisan groups from around the world. But that's 1000s and 1000s of artisans. We're spread out throughout Mexico now, 18 different states. We're all over Africa, and but we're also working with artisans, you know, traditional artisans, from Italy, or from Japan. So, there's this combination of all of these different incredible artisans, as we've shifted a little more into homeware.
Treana Peake 09:12
So, every piece, every product we sell is, you know, something that comes with a story. It's a story of the person who made it and I think in retail for me, as I was doing clothing, and touching every piece myself, I just started to look at what these new consumers want. And what do I want as a consumer. And realizing that you know, some of these pieces that I gather and keep in my home, I love aesthetically but I don't know the backstory to,
Michael LeBlanc 09:41
Right,
Treana Peake 09:41
And I have I have no personal attachment to it.
Michael LeBlanc 09:44
Yeah,
Treana Peake 09:44
And so in retail for me now it's a shift focus for this conscious consumers and to bring more meaning into people's homes. So, when you walk by a bowl, you go, 'Oh, I know. Amadou made that and he's from, you know, northern Mali, and it took him one week to do this. And you know, Here's a little bit about him and his culture' and you know, you know who it is behind each product.
Michael LeBlanc 10:05
Now, you've been doing this for a while, lots of questions. And, I'm curious about the impact that you think the COVID era will have on this idea of meaning in product. So, you know, I did this session with Google Canada yesterday, and we were talking, they wanted to know what I thought about what retail would look like, in three to five years and I said, 'I don't know what's gonna look like in three to five months, some days'. But, you know, one of the things that would seem to be the case, is that people look for more meaning, more sustainability, more accountability, in the products, have you seen, and my theory was that, that this time this COVID era has actually, if there's a benefit to all of this, it's kind of raised our awareness about the interconnectivity of the world. And maybe we should have more meaning to the things that we live with. Have you seen a movement? Because it's been around a long time, it's notoriously difficult retail concept to crack the code on, I want to talk about that a little later. But are you thinking more and more consumers are going to be readjusting their, their thoughts around what they buy?
Treana Peake 11:07
Yeah, I mean, I'm certainly seeing it, I know that we're maybe filling a niche. However, you know, we, we've seen a huge uptick in sales. We're relatively new to the homewares department. We, we stopped doing as much fashion as we were doing before, even though we, you know, did all of our own (inaudible), local manufacturing, and we've won, you know, eco sustainability awards, that kind of thing, I still felt like there was a strong negative footprint in what I was doing, even though we had controlled as many aspects of it as we could. And so hence, the shift to these handmade, artisan driven products that actually create an impact for people and communities and have a negative impact on the environment or do no damage to the environment.
Michael LeBlanc 11:52
Right,
Treana Peake 11:52
And so, when we did that shift, we had so many people come out and just say, this is what I've been looking for. Because I think, with a consumer driven mind, like we're all buying things, but you don't want to be buying things that, that is having a negative impact. And so,
Michael LeBlanc 12:09
Yeah,
Treana Peake 12:09
You know, for me, as a company, we're small enough, and we're impact driven and purpose driven, that I'm out in the field, meeting artisans. I'm making sure that I know we're not doing damage to the community, or the individual that's creating it and no damage to the environment. And I continue to check up on that. And everything's made, you know, in partnership with these people. And so, when our customer comes to us, they can go, 'Oh, okay, I actually trust this company. And I trust that they've done the due diligence and, and the research behind this particular product that I can buy it guilt free. In fact, I can buy it and know that I'm creating impact somewhere in the world'. And so, that's a really hard thing for a consumer to be able to find. And that's my promise, or my goal is to be able to check off as many of those boxes for our consumers so that the homework side of it is done.
Treana Peake 13:01
And so, to your point, yes, I do feel like there's a whole wave of people that want to make sure that they're not contributing to something negative. And buying less
Michael LeBlanc 13:12
Or at least trying to understand it. I interviewed Sir Ronald Cohen, he's kind of a leader of the ESG movement, at least in investment banking. And, you know, he was telling me about apps now where you could scan items on the shelf and understand their actual impact. You know, what the economists would call him, you know, economic rents behind the product.
Michael LeBlanc 13:33
You know, the concept that you're talking about is unique, is not exactly the first-time retailers have tried to do the similar thing. And it's notoriously complex from a supply chain and from a consistency and from a vendor. And you talked about, you know, checking in to make sure everything's cool. Talk about that, because that, to me, is the is where a lot can trip up, right? I mean, supply chain is really hard right now, to begin with, no matter what you're selling just in the way it is today. How do you how do you manage? Like, what things do you do to keep the product, find the product, keep it coming in, and then talk about them?
Treana Peake 14:10
Right, it's, it's incredibly hard. You know, I have a lot of friends in business that run very successful companies, and they're like, 'Treana, you can't do this. This doesn't make any sense. Like, how are you ever going to grow and expand and become this, you know, leading company in the world', and I'm like, 'That's not my goal anyway', my, I measure success in the lives of the people, you know, that we impact and my artisan goals are my goals as a company. And I think, I'm in a unique position because we are so purpose driven that the bottom line, of course, we need to make money in order to reach,
Michael LeBlanc 14:45
Yeah,
Treana Peake 14:45
Artisans and do more work, and to keep this company moving forward. But we're not bottom dollar, bottom line driven, we're,
Michael LeBlanc 14:52
Right,
Treana Peake 14:53
You know, we're able to use and work within this unique model, because there are other motivations, or other, other reasons here at play. Supply chain is incredibly difficult,
Michael LeBlanc 15:05
Yeah,
Treana Peake 15:05
You know, I think with COVID, for us, though, it was quite interesting because more than ever our artisans needed our support. And you know, a lot of these rural communities were on lockdown and are still on lockdown. I mean,
Michael LeBlanc 15:19
Yeah,
Treana Peake 15:20
South Sudan is 0.04% of the population is vaccinated, and so the country's on lockdown and,
Michael LeBlanc 15:26
Yeah, and long road ahead of them too. And, you know, some of these countries have a long road ahead of them. So, this isn't a short-term issue for them, right?
Treana Peake 15:34
No, it isn't. And I think like, for us, nothing was made in a factory. So, nothing shut down. In fact, people needed to create more in order to sustain their family or their village. And so, you know, we kept going through that. But of course, we had all the logistical,
Michael LeBlanc 15:49
Yeah,
Treana Peake 15:49
Issues of getting the product here. And of course, I had to halt a lot of my philanthropic trips during that time as well. So, luckily, in a lot of these countries, I have, you know, contacts or I'm running foundation programs anyway. So, I've got field staff on the ground, and people were my eyes and ears, you know, as we continue to add artisans, even though I haven't been there in a,
Michael LeBlanc 16:13
Right,
Treana Peake 16:14
Couple villages, myself, I'm about to get on a plane and head there in October and again in November. Now, that
Michael LeBlanc 16:19
Will be your first trip in a long time?
Treana Peake 16:22
You know, I did go during the pandemic, into the refugee area and into South Sudan, only because our work is so important to keep moving forward. We're doing water wells, and beekeeping and livelihood initiatives and all other sorts of things in addition to the artisan goods. So, you know, I chose one trip and I kept it, kept it as safe as I could. But yeah, I've definitely scaled back. And that's been, that's been difficult for sure.
Michael LeBlanc 16:51
Yeah, well, you know, I talked to a lot of merchants who, of course, are different commodities, but are in a similar boat and have found that maintaining relationships with their existing vendors, if we can call them all that has actually been easier, like, you know, with Zoom and technology, are you able to take advantage of those things? You say you have people on the ground? Yea, some of that technology has been around before COVID, in the before time, but it seems to be more, from a business culture perspective seems to be more applicable. Again, here I'm talking about the transactional nature of the business rather than the philanthropic nature. Have you, have you found it's been a pretty good supplement? And in some cases, you found you can just keep in more touch with them? Or is it net neutral or negative for you?
Treana Peake 17:34
Yeah, I think I have in some of the cases where my artisans aren't you know, in very rural communities,
Michael LeBlanc 17:39
Sure,
Treana Peake 17:39
Where there's no reception anyway,
Michael LeBlanc 17:41
Yeah, yeah.
Treana Peake 17:41
I'm able to stay in touch. So, I think I've been, you know, my Italian glass blowers, or Japanese candle makers, those sorts of artisans, absolutely. We just have regular Zoom meetings, and that's easy to maintain those relationships, and even to do design work together, like co design stuff, it's very easy that way. Even some of our artisans in Mexico, it's been amazing. But of course, I think there's been a little bit more distance between me and some of these artisans, and, you know, rural Africa,
Michael LeBlanc 18:08
Yeah, of course.
Treana Peake 18:09
Obviously unable to connect with them, and, and a lot harder
Michael LeBlanc 18:12
Harder to find new, right? I mean, it's harder to have someone, you know, be somewhere, doing something else and have, and see, you know, that, that great find, as merchants would call it, as you described earlier, you know, someone will bring out some great pottery, and you go, 'Wow, that's amazing'. That's a bit harder, right? Finding new is a bit harder.
Treana Peake 18:28
It is, and actually what I'm doing with a lot of our vendors for product is in a lot of these rural areas, they only make what either sells locally, which is very important to sustain and keep, you know, their local market thriving and an economy going on that regard. But also, like in a lot of these areas, where there is a little bit of a tourist market attached these artisans only designed for tourists. And so,
Michael LeBlanc 18:51
Right,
Treana Peake 18:52
You know, there's this one basket, and that's the one that sells, and that's the one that they make. And so, for me, what I like to do is get into these communities and say, 'Listen, what other ideas do you have?'
Michael LeBlanc 19:03
Right,
Treana Peake 19:03
I'm willing to give you a sample budget in order to explore your other, the other side of you. Like what other creative ideas do you have? And, and not saying, 'Hey, I need this designed and bringing me a sample', I just open it up and say,
Michael LeBlanc 19:16
That's interesting.
Treana Peake 19:17
'Let's design not even together, you design. Here's, here's the sample budget and explore'. And so then, you know, there's a little bit of this gap. It's like it would be great for me to go into those villages and see all of these different things that they've made, and then be able to build off of it right? And I've been able to do that in Mexico successfully because we've been able to stay connected through Zoom or you know, it's easy enough for them to send me the samples and, and away we go. But some incredible pieces of product have come out of it that way when there's no restrictions put on these artisans.
Michael LeBlanc 19:50
That's a very savvy approach. I love that idea of giving them a budget and saying, because I can see exactly what you're saying, right, 'Listen, this sells. I can't take a risk on building anything else because this is what people here, tourists, seem to like'. But like, wow, that's such a great idea you give them a sample budget and unleash their creativity that's probably just sitting there, bottled up, so to speak.
Michael LeBlanc 20:10
Now, just one last question. So, you're talking about Japan and Italy. So, clearly all the products are not exactly from artisans who are struggling, communities that are struggling and they need help, but are all original. So, how do you think about that from a merchandising strategy perspective? Like when you articulate that out as your brand, is your brand more art-, you know, impact driven and artisanal? Or, how do you pull those two things together as you articulate what you are, website, or just as you articulate to me and to the listeners here?
Treana Peake 20:44
Right, well, actually, I don't think there should be division between artisans, no matter what part of the world you're from, you know, whether you're a glassblower from Italy, who's super well established, or you're a woodcarver from Mali, in the northern rural village that I've found. I think, the idea is that you've made this by hand, you've invested your life skills, your talents, your culture, like some of this has been passed down through generations. And for me, just because it comes from a rural village and a little community doesn't mean that it's worth less than it, you know, a beautiful piece of glass,
Michael LeBlanc 21:21
Right,
Treana Peake 21:21
From Italy. So, you know, I kind of did this social experiment, I came home with wooden bowls, and I said to some consumers, or I said, you know, 'Hey, how much would you pay for this bowl? I'm just trying to set the retail price of this'. And they said, 'Oh, where's it from?' I said, 'Oh its from northern Mali, Africa'. 'Oh, I pay, you know, 30, $40'. And I'm like, 'Okay, great. Thank you'. And then I asked someone else. 'Hey, where would, how much would you pay for this bowl?' 'Oh, where's it from?' 'It's from Canada'. 'Oh, I'd pay 300, $400 for it'. I'm like, okay. I'm like, okay. You know, that really made it quite clear to me that, you know, they thought that it was worth less, and I guess it's because they think I may be paid less, right? But for me,
Michael LeBlanc 21:21
Is, is that it? Or, were, or are consumers a little more, 'Well, if I, I should be paying less for something made somewhere else, because they don't need as much money to get by?' Is there,
Treana Peake 22:14
It could be that. It's also I think, a little bit of this misconception of how it's made. And so part of my mandate as a company is to be able to keep everyone on an equal level and keep the value of the product based on, on the amount of skill and talent and craft and culture and everything that went into it. The amount of time that is involved in making,
Michael LeBlanc 22:33
Sure,
Treana Peake 22:33
Some of these pieces and,
Michael LeBlanc 22:34
Reflected in the price point. So, I get, do you have a price, an average price point, or a scale good, better, best? I mean, if you and I, if you were a merchant to, we'd be talking about good, better, best items in your assortment. Do you think that way? Do you hit magic price points? Do you, I'm interested in this formula.
Treana Peake 22:51
I think it's based on, you know all the artists and set their own prices. In the rural communities, of course, we, we so half of my artisans are purpose driven, and half of them are very well established. And purpose driven, meaning my foundation's involved in some way. So,
Michael LeBlanc 22:51
Right,
Treana Peake 22:51
Even though I you know, in a rural village in Uganda, I won't pay $150 for a bowl, because if I did that, that entire village would stop selling locally. They would stop farming, they would stop beekeeping. So, I can pay,
Michael LeBlanc 23:18
Yeah,
Treana Peake 23:18
The local price defined by the artisan, but then I invest all of my net proceeds back into growing and expanding through the foundation.
Michael LeBlanc 23:28
Through the foundation, so you don't want to distort the economy, so to speak, the micro economy,
Treana Peake 23:31
Exactly,
Michael LeBlanc 23:32
Of where you work. So, oh, that's interesting that you, you tie those two together. That's very clever, very smart.
Michael LeBlanc 23:38
Last couple of questions, so I can't have you on the mic without asking you, and this may be an unfair question, do you have any favorites in your assortment? Is there anything that you just, 'Oh my God', I gotta tell you about right now that you love. I mean, sometimes that's a little bit like picking your favorite kid, but, does anything jump out, that you can point the listeners to when they go visit your site? Do you say 'Listen, if you're gonna look at a couple of three things, maybe she looked at these?'
Treana Peake 24:01
Yeah, I mean, everything is so beautiful. And it's why I'm really grateful and lucky to be working with all of these talented makers from around the world. But of course, me being very philanthropic driven and coming with a development background. My favorites are, you know, these artisans that I've been able to work with, over a longer period of time, and we've been able to watch their business grow. I've got a jewelry maker from Kenya named Sylvester and he's been able to hire two new staff since we started working with him. And, you know, I'm on WhatsApp with him, you know, three, four times a week. You know, it's like their extended members of our Obakki family Amadu I love he's the wooden bowl maker from Mali. He's reinvesting some money back into reforestation in the regions.
Treana Peake 24:51
I think it's, you know, with these (inaudible) potter's these are women that have made these bowls in northern Uganda really for generations. They've learned on the knees of their grandmothers on the knees of their grandmothers that just kind of keeps going through and, and they're incredibly talented artisans that are really just wanting to use their own two hands to create change for themselves and to sustain their village. And so, for me, it's those artisans that you know, I'm deeply connected to. I'm not saying their product is better than the others. But yeah, the story is there, there's actually a story behind every one of our products, so it is hard to choose.
Michael LeBlanc 25:28
Well, that's fantastic. So, like I said, in my last question is, where can people go to learn more about you and learn more about your retail concept? And tell me that all that stuff,
Treana Peake 25:38
Right, yeah, so we are in Vancouver. So we have a little showroom here where people can come by and you know, people will come in and say, 'Oh, it's almost like coming to a global kind of art gallery' because you, you actually get a tour all the way through our showroom and how each person made everything. So, it's kind of, kind of a fun little experiential outing, but we are online obakki.com O B A K K I, and we also have Obakki Fondation. So, if you want to read about the impact, it's all it's all kind of there as well.
Michael LeBlanc 26:08
Well, Treana, it's been such a treat hearing both your origin story and the great work you're doing and this savviness of your merchandise because you've picked, and you know, I think you are purpose driven but you've certainly picked a complicated retail concept that takes a lot of skill and passion to execute. So, I want to wish you, congratulations, I want to say congratulations and wish you continued success in everything you're doing. And thank you for joining me on The Voice of Retail.
Treana Peake 26:32
Thank you so much, Michael. It was a pleasure.
Michael LeBlanc 26:35
Thanks for tuning into today's episode of The Voice of Retail. Be sure and follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts, so you don't miss out on the latest episodes, industry news and insights. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating and review as it really helps us grow so that we continue to get amazing guests onto the show.
Michael LeBlanc 26:54
I'm your host Michael LeBlanc, President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc. And if you're looking for more content or want to chat, follow me on LinkedIn or visit my website at meleblanc.co.
Michael LeBlanc 27:03
Until next time, stay safe. Have a great week.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
artisans, retail, world, product, people, village, rural village, sells, consumers, philanthropy, driven, africa, philanthropic, bit, person, impact, buying, pay, supply chain, brand