NGO and donor agencies
International aid resources channelled into the field of food production in developing countries are very significant. Equitable Gourmet™ links our suppliers to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and aid organizations, providing them with an opportunity to support successful and sustainable small businesses that are contributing to creating jobs and providing incomes in rural communities.
Some of the key services that Equitable Gourmet™ seeks to obtain for our suppliers include:
- production-based technical assistance;
- assistance in product development;
- other best practice compliance/certification;
- assistance in obtaining organic certification;
- business development services including training on sound management, accounting, and marketing practices; and
- support in accessing and obtaining micro-finance credits.
In measure with the goals of its development projects’ partners, Equitable Gourmet™ is having an impact not only on the sustainability of its producers’ individual businesses, but also on the regional economy as a whole. There, the company’s suppliers are becoming instrumental in the increase in local demand for “non-tradables” in their respective regions, directly contributing to regional household incomes and demand-led growth in their local economies.
“Non-tradables” are goods and services produced by a rural non-farm economy, that are usually consumed almost entirely within the region in which they are produced. Their expansion is often constrained by limited growth in local demand. “Tradables,” on the other hand, are those goods and services having their most important markets outside the region.