Few in the Western world have ever heard of yak down, a cashmere-like fiber that is hand-combed once a year from the rugged animals dwelling in the mountainous Himalayan regions of Western China. Yaks have provided a livelihood for generations of Tibetan herders, and now a new effort aims to preserve that tradition by creating a market for yak down in the rest of the world.
The brainchild of two Chinese women who were classmates at Harvard's JFK School of Government, Shokay is an initiative to address the poverty of Tibetan herders in China by creating new markets for the raw fiber they can produce. Conceived in 2006 as part of a Harvard business-plan competition—which it ultimately won, according to China International Business—the effort now works with some 2,600 herders from the Hei Ma He Village of Qinghai Province in Western China through a series of fiber cooperatives that provide a sustainable source of employment and income. A single village can generate 10 tons of fiber in a year, CIB reported. Once it's harvested, that fiber gets sent to Shokay's team of about 40 hand knitters in Chong Ming Island off of Shanghai, who then use it to produce Sh
Combining social entrepreneurship with product life stories and (still) made here appeal, Shokay reminds us of the efforts of Crop to Cup in the world of coffee and Naked Wines for small, independent vintners. Next, we wouldn't be surprised to see Shokay adding a digital element with some traceability to spread its stories further and in more detail, much the way those (and other) contenders have. A personalized nametag is a good start, but if www.shokay.com
Contact: info@shokay.com
Spotted by: Danielle Matsumoto
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