WELCOME TO APIKRI, A FAIR TRADE ORGANIZATION IN YOGYAKARTA INDONESIA

Apikri, is one of fair trade promoters through empowering micro and small handicraft producers. Apikri is an fair trade organization that was set up in 1987, founded by 25 handicraft small producers and NGO activists who assisted them.

At first, Apikri was the abbreviated name for Indonesian Peoples Handicraft Marketing Association. In 1989, Apikri name was changed to Indonesian People Handicraft Development Association, because the problems of small-producers are not only in marketing. In 1990, Apikri name was changed again : Foundation for the Development of the Indonesian Handicraft Producers, which is abbreviated Apikri . Marketing facilitation for small-producers is held by Apikri, Inc. The first showroom, is named TPB (Tempat Pemasaran Bersama) or Joint Marketing Place . This change demonstrated significant increase in Apikri activities and progress.In. 2002, Apikris name was changed again to be Apikri Cooperative. Apikri Foundation unified with Apikri Cooperative. Although some name changes from the first setting up until now, but Apikri always concern with fair trade, as the main value Apikri works with fair trade philosophy : Fairness, Transparency, Accountability, Sustainability Since 1989 Apikri has been working with Fair Trade Principles : o Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers o Transparency and Accountability o Fair Trading Practices o Payment of a fair price o Commitment to Gender Equity o Ensuring good working condition o Providing capacity building o Education opportunity for children workers o Respect for the environment o Promoting fair trade. Apikri has a vision: to be a fair trade voice to empower micro-small handicraft communities in Indonesia with mission to improve business capacity building for micro and small handicraft producers,to facilitate market access for micro and small handicraft producers,to strengthen micro small handicraft producers as actors in the dynamics national economy,to strengthen fairness in trading as an instrument to achieve democracy in economy life.

A main competency of Apikri as fair trade organization is empowerment of micro and small handicraft communities. The general strategy is community empowerment by market driven approach. Mission statement : do development to find a market and do market finding to develop a community. Community empowerment of Apikri through marketing approach is done by 3 strategies :to help small micro producers who make fair trade handicraft to find and create their market themselves,to meet micro and small producers who make fair trade handicraft with potential market.to facilitate export marketing by fair trade value, if the two strategies above can not be a practical trading held by producers. At this time, people who receive benefits directly are more than 200 micro-small producers in Yogyakarta Special Province and Central Java (Klaten, Wonogiri, Pacitan, Secang, Pekalongan, Banjarnegara).Some of the producers live in villages and slum areas as the implementation of the Apikri purpose, and one of fair trade principle is to empower the economy life of disadvantaged producer. Besides marketing facilitation with the fair trade value , producers get benefits from business capacity building, design development, design information, financial support, fair trade awareness, fair trade implementation assistance. Apikri focuses in export market of fair trade handicraft products and facilitates the members and participants to be active in the local market with the fair trade value. Our fair trade handicraft products for export can be seen in our catalog in this web site also the fair trade handicraft products for domestic . Until the end of 2006 Apikri worked with 17 trading-partners which are mostly fair trade buyers in 12 countries (Europe, North America, Japan, Hongkong, Australia ).Most of Apikri trading partners are fair trade buyers of chain stores, not brokers, agents or distributors in order to approach consumers more directly Apikri , that run fair trade principles gets 50% advance payment from trading partner for every order and gives 50% the balance payment to members or participants who have the order. The balance payment paid to the members or participants after the products sent and evaluated in the warehouse.

Apikri programs:

• Producer Capacity Building : entrepreneurship, product development training and consultancy, market information, book keeping, affectivity and efficiency of production, waste management and others.
• Market Facilitation , in fair trade value
• Financial Supporting : Apikri has FKM Division that managed soft loan mainly for order production
• Human Resources Development : entrepreneurship training, technology information, quality control, design development, market communication and others
• Environment Conservation: every year arranged replanting in producer site.
• Advocacy for SME :
• Indigenous People Empowerment : Entrepreneurship, handicraft skill and marketing training for people in remote island.
• Awareness of fair trade : Through a meetings for producers and a visit to producers Apikri always explain about fair trade and the implementation of fair trade.
• Promoting of Fair trade Apikri of fair trade handicraft products mostly are functional products ethnically-decorative values, made of : Leather, Silver, brass, Batik, textile, natural fiber, Wooden Handicraft, Bamboo, Ceramic.

All the handicraft products meets the fair trade products criteria ( respect to the environment) . Apikri is the second fair trade organization in Indonesia after Pekerti Jakarta and a member of Fair Trade Forum Indonesia (FFTI). At this time there are more than 20 Fair Trade Organizations joined together in FFTI/Forum Fair Trade Indonesia. Apikri is also a member of WFTO Asia ( World Fair Trade Organization Asia). APIKRI is also a member of WFTO International ( World Fair Trade Organization International).Every year APIKRI is audited by WFTO ( World Fair Trade Organization) to preserve the fair-trade organization philosophy and principles.A part Apikri trading partners, which mostly are fair trade organizations periodically audited Apikri by a visit to Apikri office and producer workshops to ensure the upheld principles of fair trade.