Ethical Business Founded on Love of Africa
Harrogate Advertiser [15/09/2005]
Here is, deep in the heart of Nidderdale, an oasis which is forever Africa.
This is The Africa House, the nerve centre of compassionate entrepreneur Jonathan Knocker's unique business operation.
Driven by a profound love of all things African and guided by the strict principles of fair trade, 43-year-old Jonathan founded
The Africa House a year ago to supply high-quality, hand-made soft furnishings and accessories from Southern and Eastern Africa to customers across the United Kingdom.
Based at Summerbridge, in a house dating back to 1652, The Africa House has a special resonance at a time when the concept of fair trade in Africa is an important political issue.
Chancellor Gordon Brown has recently visited Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa, while Prime Minister Tony Blair has launched the Africa Commission's report on improving wealth across the continent. The recent controversial Zimbabwean election, meanwhile, was a graphic illustration of the brittleness of the geo-political make-up of Africa and a telling reminder of the need for commercial links.
Jonathan said: "At last there seems to be the political will to put Africa on the world stage. It is a stunning continent, which has battled against adversity through most of its history, yet has still - against the odds - managed to retain a smile. I am extremely hopeful that these latest political initiatives will pay off and, in the meantime, I am proud to be playing my own small part in promoting African culture and helping its economy.
"Fair trade, which enables African suppliers to compete with established competitors in Europe and the UK, is an idea whose time has finally come. In the UK, sales of fair trade produce in 2004 exceeded £130 million, while we has overtaken Switzerland to become the biggest fair trade market in the world. Meanwhile Cafedirect coffee is one of the best-selling brands in the UK coffee market and fair trade products such as bananas, cocoa, chocolate, tea and coffee have reached record profile and sales levels," explained Jonathan.
Ironically it was when Jonathan Knocker was working for flamboyant businessman Tiny Rowland, once famously dubbed the unacceptable face of capitalism, that he fell in love with the true, decidedly uncommercial, spirit of Africa.
Jonathan commented: "That was in 1989. Since then, I'm lucky enough to have visited Africa regularly. I also spent three years living and working in Malawi, so Africa has become my second home. I love the wildlife, the exciting landscapes, the contrasting colours, the lights and the welcoming people that are so easy to absorb and enjoy while visiting this wonderful continent.
It was a visit to Zambia with his partner Hazel Burek in October 2003 that reinforced Jonathan's resolve to transform his emotional attachment and spiritual affinity with Africa into something more concrete. The Africa House was born.
The majority of the company's business is done over the Internet via the Africa House website, but there are two retail outlets in Harrogate (Harrogate Interiors in Cold Bath Road and Major Minor in Cheltenham Parade) and The Port Hole fair trade shop in Whitby that also sells its goods.
Jonathan said: "Both Hazel and I are resolute in ensuring that every possible opportunity be given to African-based producers to maximise their skills, talent and ability through successful marketing of a range of high-quality produce.
"We will only deal with organisations that provide fair employment conditions to staff which must include a fair salary and related conditions, not always enjoyed in the developing world. In other words, our partners must work in a 'fairly-traded' environment that benefits the whole surrounding community."
The overriding aims of the Africa House are twofold:
to offer a taste of Africa, through providing high-quality, fairly-traded products from selected African suppliers
to give selected African communities financial security, through commercial trade, in their quest to secure all the benefits of education, health and well being which we all take for granted.
It is perhaps invidious to pick out specific products and suppliers, but it is important to give a flavour of what The Africa House can offer.
There are rugs and carpets from Lewa Downs in Kenya, made from sheep or goats wool. There are pieces of traditional furniture made from teak or Rosewood and grown in sustainable woodlands along the banks of the Zambezi river.
One supplier is Art Coco, based on the edge of a beautiful creek close to Mombasa Island, on Kenya's coast. A small workshop produces a wonderful selection of coconut fibre tablemats, coasters, picture frames, trays and lampshades. Ten employees work with the company to produce a unique range of handmade products from natural materials that are sold in East Africa and overseas.
Another is the Bombolulu Workshops and Cultural Centre in Kenya. Established 35 years ago, Bombolulu Workshops is a project of the Association for the Physically Disabled in Kenya (APDK). Located in Mombasa there are four sheltered workshops producing a range of jewellery, tailored goods, wood and leather items for both domestic and worldwide markets. Visiting the workshops provides a chance to enjoy watching a busy and motivated community working together to achieve financial stability while conquering the stiff challenges set by disability in today's busy world.
Tribal Textiles were The Africa House's founder supplier and original inspiration. Based in Mfuwe, close to the edge of South Luangwa National Park, Tribal Textiles has been in operation since 1991. The company was started by Gillie Lightfoot who with a small group of local artists translated her dream of traditional and contemporary African art and design for the home into reality.
"Every supplier is very carefully vetted - and we do not deal with middlemen or agents," said Jonathan emphatically. "In fact, we avoid them like the plague. If we lose sight of our ethics, we might as well pack up completely."
Jonathan's love affair with Africa, which flourished in the 1990s, was cemented when he won five Rugby Union caps for Malawi, two of which were in the qualifying round of in the 1991 World Cup. He still treasures those caps, even though Malawi did not progress further than the qualifying rounds.
Looking back, Jonathan Knocker's life has been building up to the creation of The Africa House for the past decade. Allied to his love of Africa, he has picked up valuable business experience as a Corporate fund-raiser for the Royal National Institute for the Blind in Leeds (where he met his Yorkshire-born partner Hazel) and through a year-long full time MBA course at Bradford University.
Meanwhile, more recently, he has enlisted the support of business advisers from Business Link York and North Yorkshire to provide funding and expertise to get The Africa House up and running.
And up and running it certainly is. As The Africa House approaches its first anniversary, Jonathan and Hazel are looking forward to the future with confidence, secure in the knowledge that their expanding business is founded on the very best ethical, as well as economic, principles.
The Africa House Ltd can be contacted at Clough House Farm, Summerbridge, Harrogate , HG3 4JR - email info@theafricahouse.com
Feedback Form Disclaimer Privacy © Copyright 2004
Harrogate Borough Council, Council Offices, Crescent Gardens, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 2SG, Tel: (
Visit site: http://www.harrogate.gov.uk/immediacy-3608
View other news Stories ...
» Business Awards Finalist 2005 (17/11/05)
» Ethical Business Founded on Love of Africa (15/09/05)
» Crafting The Future (02/07/05)