Fair Trade
Our commitment to fair and ethical practices with the artisans who make our instruments.
The official Fair Trade organisations have to date been mainly concerned with coffee, cotton, bananas and some other agricultural products, and they haven't yet had the time or resources to produce certification or recognition for organisations involved in artisanal products such as musical instruments.
Pending the introduction of an "Artisanal" or "Handicrafts" Fairtrade category, Drums for Schools follow the guidelines for existing (agricultural) products and have adapted these a little to the different circumstances of artisanal production.
Specifically, this is what we do
Fair pricing
Unlike many other buyers, we don't expect our instrument makers to be the lowest-cost supplier. Instead we expect to pay top prices — usually related to market price plus a premium for the extra care and quality we ask of them.
Loyalty to our makers
We're loyal to our instrument makers and have stayed with the same small group of suppliers since our beginnings — that's nearly 20 years in some cases. We know them personally, and not just the owners or managers but many of the individual artisans too, and they know they can talk to us directly.
Design collaboration
We regularly bring our instrument makers new designs — often starting out from suggestions from you, our customers — and help them develop these into working prototypes and then into production models.
Fair trade in practice, not just in name
We put music-making — and people — first in everything we do.
