Amazon Ecology began selling bird ornaments made by our partner artisans in the Peruvian Amazon at festivals and fairs in 2016. As these ornaments improved, I wanted to start selling them to wholesale buyers.
Wild Birds Unlimited seemed like a perfect client. All 350 stores sell quality bird seed and feeding equipment and most also carry some bird and nature related gifts. Most of their franchise owners, staff and customers are passionate about birds and the environment.
Four years ago, the manager of a WBU store near my home admired the quality of our ornaments, but he didn't want to buy them because they were colorful Amazon species his customers did not know. He encouraged me to come back when we had some species people could see at their backyard feeders.
I took his recommendation seriously, and our artisan partners now make woven cardinals, goldfinches, hummingbirds and other popular North American birds from our forests, wetlands and coast.
Last year I began visiting WBU stores en route to music festivals from Connecticut to Kentucky and sold some bird ornaments to eight of them.
I heard more about WBU at this year's Fair Trade Federation from several companies that sold bird-related crafts to them. I probably won't get into this year's national gathering in Indianapolis, so I spent the last two days visiting nine WBU stores (and two botanical gardens) in eastern Virginia.
Their staff really liked our bird and butterfly ornaments and background. One customer followed me to the parking lot to buy one. A few people pointed out how we could improve a few birds and were interested to have me do a presentation about our work in their store. Four stores had resident cats as a way to encourage people to keep pet cats indoors since outdoor cats kill about 1.6 million birds per year. I became buddies with Felix the Maine coon cat and cuddly Harry who were curious but polite with our birds.
We saw a wide variety of tiny tetras, angel fish, arawanas, pirañas, electric eels, spotted stingrays, striped catfish, beautiful discus and other popular ornamental species. They also had sabalo whose export for the aquarium trade is banned since it is a vital source of protein and income for fishing families in the region.
The Marca Loreto gives Garza Viva the right to use the brand for two years. Its benefits include officially recognizing the quality of our products and certifies they were genuinely made in Loreto. This seal can increase their appeal and prestige at local, national, and international levels and create opportunities to participate in national and international events and fairs to increase visibility and sales.
"I had heard about marketing before, but didn't I didn't quite understand what it meant. Now I know how it can help us share the story behind our crafts and reach more people." - Angelica - artisan from Ancon Colonia
