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Import Ants expands product range
[Tue 14/02/2012 09:45:15]
 An eco-friendly wholesaler known for distributing elephant dung paper goods over the past three years has signed on four new suppliers, greatly increasing its product offering.
Import Ants began discussions last year but was only able to visit its new contacts in Sri Lanka in January. Owner Kim Good says it is a lengthy process to ensure the brands Import Ants represents are environmentally aware and fair trade.
“To see that this is done we visit all the factories or workshops and take time to build relationships, so we can be assured that the products we display meet these principles,” she says. “This takes time and my partner who handles the finance side of the business also puts constraints on my enthusiasm to keep introducing new things.”
The four new suppliers include the Araliya Community Group Company, which allows all members to have a share of the company and its assets and the women workers to help make company decisions.
“The women are paid fair wages, have superannuation and also contribute to a school for deaf children as originally the group [began] to help the mothers of deaf children. They are making wedding favour boxes from Palmyrah leaf for us and we have more things in development with them,” explains Good.
.jpg) Import Ants’ other new products are hand stitched and painted cards and cloth items, handmade papers, wedding favour bags made of banana leaf, Christmas trees and wreaths, and kitchen and body brushes made from natural fibres.
“The brushes are a step in a slightly different direction, however, a lot of our products are sold in eco stores so I felt that they would appreciate an environmentally conscious alternative for their customers to replace the plastic brushes that are currently available.”
The new products will be launched at the Sydney Home & Giving Fair later this month but whether the amount of new products will fit on the stand remains to be seen.
“I’m just hoping we will have enough space on the stand. We will definitely need a bigger stand for Melbourne – this one may be a little squishy. All of the new products will be available in a few months and the Christmas range we will be pre-selling.”
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