Cargo consolidation keeps product viable

For Zizamele Ceramics’ Toni Spiller Burton the first big order from the US brought the realisation that the market lay in exports. “We had just started the business and were just coming to terms with what that meant,” says the woman who had been a teacher most of her life. “Not only did I have to learn about exporting, but I had to do it viably. We could never fill a single container – it is just not feasible for a niche product like ours. We had to think carefully about how we were going to do this and finally decided to use an agent who consolidates the goods of a variety of manufacturers servicing the same industry together.” Of course the odd piece of pottery is still sent to individual customers but big orders are now handled through consolidation. “So in one shipment you will find Zizamele pottery, Kenyan baskets, Zimbabwean masks – a variety of products and we all share the costs rather than trying to go it alone.” For the Zizamele team this has been a game changer. “To make exports work you need volume but you can’t lose sight of the fact that our product does not lend itself to massive volumes as its uniqueness lies in the time it takes to craft it. It’s not mass-produced bowls that can be churned out by the thousands.” Through consolidation, says Spiller Burton, they are able to achieve both the volume needed for export while maintaining the integrity of the product.