Thursday

With Thursday came a big day for our group, as we presented our work to CEOLI through a conversation with Ronald, the Director, and Jean Carla. After a detailed conversation to gather more information and gather our complete recommendations, we presented information to CEOLI that explained what PBL would be doing next. In regards to the CEOLI Cards project, we gave recommendations of product development and enhancement for the US market for future work. Additionally, we laid out promotion strategies, distribution channels, and pricing recommendations that could take effect immediately and be carried through into future operations. As we look to continue this partnership for years to come, we also presented ideas about how we can further the partnership, talking about how PBL could provide the marketing and promotion work in the United States through an intern and also giving ideas for projects for future groups including marketing the child produced jewelry to the United States and working on the water filtration business for CEOLI. Overall, the conversation we had was extremely productive and a great cap to our work over the last few months and especially this week. In the afternoon, we had a site visit to the office of Aha Bolivia, also known as Tote Le Monde. The company is based in Cochabamba and manufactures handbags and knitwear for various noted designers available in the US, Europe, and South America. Through our conversation with Anna, the company's founder, we learned about their interesting history, important emphasis on ethical manufacturing and fair trade, and current challenges faced during business both in Bolivia and in the international market. After a great conversation with Anna about the business, we toured both the office and store facility as well as a nearby factory, in which workers produced these beautiful products by hand. Aha Bolivia and its ethical sources provided great insight into the business environment in Bolivia, marked with many complexities. A very productive and busy day was capped with dinner and time to spend out in Cochabamba, as we look forward to tomorrow with excitement and emotion nearing the end of our trip.