CABACEIRAS, Brazil, Nov 11 (IPS) – The small community of Ribeira stands out in the Northeast, Brazil’s poorest region. There is no unemployment here. One in five residents make a living directly or indirectly through the Arteza Cooperative of Tanners and Leather Artisans.
“An idea has the power to change your world,” said the philosophical voice of Ângelo Macio, president of Arteza, recalling the creation of the alliance in 1998 under the influence of a Dutch priest who no longer lives in the region.
“You come to the community and you don’t see unemployed young people, they all work in workshops, they have income, they raise their children, they have their own homes… their own vehicles. Everything comes from leather work”, he said showing a sandal made by one of the artisans of this co-operative.
This is the case of Tarcisio de Andrade, 29, who has been a member of the coalition for seven years. “I’m married and I have a son. My wife doesn’t work, but we all live on my job in Arteza. I don’t plan to leave Ribeira,” he said while fixing his sandal.
The expansion of the cooperative with a tannery, a store that sells goods and tools, other stores that sell their products and e-commerce, has boosted the local economy. At first, the tannery milled 800 hides a month, then it increased to 12,000, a number the members never thought they could reach. Today they grind 20,000 hides.
Ribeira’s 1,700 residents seem to believe that anything is possible.
Before, there was no gas station, no shops, no pharmacy. Thanks to the union’s income, they now have all that, and people do not have to travel 13 kilometers to Cabaceiras, the capital of the municipality of 5,300 inhabitants, of which Ribeira is a part.
Solar power, driver
The cooperative’s success is largely due to solar energy. In 2018, it received equipment worth $58,728 from the state government of Paraíba, where the municipality is located, and resources from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
The savings achieved with the 170 panels installed have been significant.
“Solar electricity has been a milestone in our history. Today we would have paid 10,000 (US$ 1,755) electricity bills for the leather industry alone, now we have reduced it to 600 reais (US$ 105). We were able to buy two new machines that allowed us to increase production and improve standards this leather,” said Macio.
There was no longer a need to increase the panels because when they were installed they were already twice as large as what was needed at that time. Today, with this power, it is possible to double production and process 40,000 skins.
The original plan was to install photovoltaic panels on the roof of the tannery, but the cooperative’s board of directors came up with a better idea: build a new roof.
Therefore, they expanded the area for drying the skins and took the opportunity to collect water from the scarce rain to clean the water-consuming skins. Without economy, the old roof could only dry 300 hides. Under the solar panels it is possible to dry 2,500.
Culture on the skin
Initially, the 28 members who founded Arteza were supported by the Brazilian Small Business Support Service (Sebrae), a private organization financed by a compulsory contribution from companies. Now there are 78 partners, benefiting about 400 families.
All the small region of Cariri, where the municipality is located, and especially Ribeira, has a long tradition of leather working.
Macio’s grandfather was a leather worker, but his production was rustic and consisted mainly of coarse clothing, hats and utensils used by shepherds to roam. katigaa dominant biome in the northeastern part with many thorny plants.
Cooperative production evolved from traditional products due to the decline in cattle breeding and the young people’s desire for modern products. Today, work clothes account for 10% of the total value.
At present, the flagship product is sandals, accounting for 60% of the total product, which includes bags, women’s bags and backpacks, the most expensive product, which costs the equivalent of 150 dollars.
By joining a cooperative, artisans can purchase inputs such as glue and tools, as well as leather at cost price. Those who are not members and have other suppliers pay 40% more on average. Members do not have to worry about sales: they transfer the product to the cooperative, which negotiates with traders.
If the cooperative receives money from the sale, it deducts the amount of input the members have taken out. In the end, they get 30% profit on average.
Some artisans, however, remain loyal to traditional products. This is the story of José Guimarães de Souza, who specialized in the production of rare ‘horn hats’.
Zé, as everyone knows him, is not a member of the coalition, even though his workplace is 100 meters away. He learned this work from his father, whom he honors with a statue next to the cross as if it were a statue. He buys raw materials and sells his hats through a local merchant.
Co-op products are sold in craft stores throughout Brazil, especially in the cities of the Northeast, where the Arteza brand is well known. That is why, with the support of Sebrae, the consortium is working to get a brand name for its brand next year.
“Tomorrow, anything can happen…”
In front of Souza’s workshop, called ‘Zé Handicrafts – King of the Sophondo Hat’, graffiti catches the eye. It reads: “Don’t worry, everything can happen tomorrow, I mean nothing”. It is the first verse of a folk song called “The Nature of Things”.
The tannery was processing 16,000 hides when the epidemic began, forcing the union to halt work for more than six months. Now it has reached 20,000 units. The cooperative’s income increased by 70%, including leather and handicrafts.
“The impact of this epidemic has been great. We have almost reached the bottom of the well,” Macio recalled. Towards the end of 2021, the alliance started promoting its products through Instagram and other social media platforms to sell online. Initially, this type of sales was up to 20% of the total. Today it reaches between 35% and 40%.
There are not that many hides in Cariri and the cooperative is forced to buy them from other states. Now the problem of the coalition is to find resources to work because everyone in the community, especially the youth, is employed.
“Handicrafts have been my life. With it I raised my whole family without leaving the land I love”, said José Carlos Castro, founding member and former president of the cooperative. He currently works in the leather industry, doing a tough job: removing hair and deformed parts of the skin.
Sustainability
Arteza is the only leather factory that works with natural products, such as bark I don’t know (Parapiptadenia rigida), a tree found in several South American countries. The tanning process takes one month. If chemicals were used, such as chromium, it would only take two days.
“We maintain the natural process to avoid harming the environment and harming people. The natural process is in our DNA,” explains Macio. But difficulties arise. There are not enough trees in the region, although the association avoids the use of animals.
A few years ago, when the bark was removed, the tree died. Today, this tree is cut down and grows again, and can be cut down again after five to six years. From what is cut, the bark is removed, put through a shredder and placed in tanks with water where it releases the tannin.
Once the tannin is gone, the bark is used as a mulch for palm trees, a type of cactus that is used for animal feed in the dry season.
The water is cleaned and disposed of in the sewer along with the sticks with shells anjicos are used for fencing.
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
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