Prince Albert, SK -
As she flips through the glossy book, showing various designs of necklaces, rings, earrings and other jewelry items, Sheryl Henry speaks about the products inside the book with passion.
"I've been getting nothing but positive feedback," said Henry, a sales consultant for the home-based personal goods business Jolica. "Everything I sell, I know I'm helping artisans in other countries."
Jolica was founded three years ago by Ted and Darlene Loewen, a couple from Ontario who were seeking a way to do charity work while showing the talented pieces of jewelry, handbags, scarves and other products made in foreign nations. The company's products are produced using fair trade standards, including good pay, concern for environmental impact, fair treatment of the artists and not using child labour to produce the items.
Sales consultants throughout the U.S. and Canada go into a person's home for Jolica parties, where the host and friends can look at the products, ask questions, and order products that have caught their fancy.
Henry first learned of the event at a trade show, where she met a local Jolica leader for other salespeople in the area. Her first event was an open event at a local hotel, and she said guests from the hotel, as well as people who knew about the event, took the chance to see her wares and learn more about fair trade.
"The products are very unique, they're not what you would find in stores," she said. "It's also educating the public about fair trade, and what fair trade means, and how it helps when you purchase fair trade items."
Henry feels that the spirit and the mixture of charity and sales is what drew her to the idea of becoming a sales consultant for Jolica.
"The whole thing that really got me was giving back to communities in other countries that are fighting poverty," she said. "I wanted to do something where I could give back something. I didn't want to sell something just to get the money for myself."
For more information about Jolica and booking home parties, visit www.jolica.com/sheryl.henry.
