Today felt short, but also long. I woke early and packed the remainder of my things from the hotel room, and enjoyed my breakfast with a nice warm cappuccino. A change from the usual atay. We made our way back into the souks, and it felt just like yesterday when I was walking down the same streets and shopping. Today, I knew we were visiting the women’s cooperative, and doing a service learning session but I had no idea what to expect.

When we arrived, we got the back story of the cooperative and the history of it, and I found it very interesting and powerful. Seeing how the women who started it just started making leather products from their home, and then being one of the 3 lucky businesses out of 350 that got funded to become a cooperative. That actually shocked me at how competitive it is to receive government funding to help businesses become more successful, grow their networks, and showcase their hard work. When they were asked how and where they sell their products, they gave two different platforms. First, from the cooperative and other vendors in the area that would be willing to sell their products, and second was Anou. Anou and the cooperative are similar in the sense that they both utilize digital marketing and e-commerce to sell these handmade products from artisans, and are trying to allow them to earn a larger profit than they are.

The business model from the women’s cooperative and the herb shop we visited yesteray had a simialr business model where they tell you a story , and allow you to try and feel products. That gives a more authentic feel and in my opinion persuades customers, like myslef to buy more products. I think being able to have some type of hands-on expereince, makes it more open and makes people feel like they are getting the real deal. In the souks its so different because you get people coming up to you left and right attempting to get you to buy something, and usually at a inflated price. The chance of a shopkeeper coming up to you in the souk and you buying from them is a lot lower than visitng a persons business and getting a hands-on expereince of the product you may buy.

After the backstory, we were served a little plate of sweet bites and, of course, atay. Moroccan hospitality never fails to always keep me fed! Once we finished our snacks we got to choose the leather product we would like to make. I chose a glasses pouch for my mom. The process was long and tedious. There were so many steps along the way that my hand got tired and I needed to take a break, or I was confused and wondering when the last step would be. I never would have thought about all the parts and steps that go into making leather products, but without this experience, I would have never known.