Women businesses at the Osaka World Expo
Almost 15 years ago, I engaged with WeConnect International and had a dream to go global with coffee. I met Elizabeth Vazquez, founding trustee, who brought many American companies to the task of procuring from WOEs, or Women-owned enterprises. In Chongqing, China, we were introduced to the likes of Marriott, Accenture, and FedEx, companies you only dream of selling to. It was also at this meeting where we met International Women’s Coffee Alliance (www.womenincoffee.org) whose business was to gather women coffee farmers and women coffee buyers, making sure the money ended up in the hands of the women who worked hard for the coffee.
I thought it was a dream, a longshot for a small entrepreneur like myself to be able to supply such corporate giants. But sooner not later, Accenture’s Asia-Pacific head met me again in a follow-up conference and directed her Philippine office to order from me! I proudly walked into Accenture’s Philippine office carrying my packs of coffee for their pantry. Except for some legal red tape that we could not untangle, Accenture would be a good place to offer products and services from WOEs because they have a procurement policy to buy from diverse suppliers, especially women-owned and minority-owned enterprises.
Another dream come true was Marriott. They also ordered coffee for their store and for their café, part of their procurement imperative to buy from small WOEs. So, it is true and WeConnect did really connect me to these corporate behemoths.
This year, I reconnected with the Asia-Pacific office because we are going to the world expo in Osaka, Japan in May. This time, I am taking younger entrepreneurs with me to share my experience and for them to experience a similar “aha” moment at the business matching that WeConnect will organize. With many more companies joining the pool, a majority of which need services, there will be a bevy of choices for buyers from all over the world.
At the Cartier-sponsored pavilion, WeConnect has chosen three whole days of business matching for WOEs. There will be panels of speakers who will share their trade secrets of how this alliance can be the secret sauce to selling to big buyers, especially governments. All over the globe, governments have the highest spend, and even in our own Philippines, the Government Procurement Policy Board (www.gppb.gov.ph) has worked with WeConnect to certify what or who qualifies as a WOE. There is a certification process that every seller must undergo to keep the supplier group as honest as it can be — there are tricky situations where male partners use the woman’s name but still keep control, a practice WeConnect is able to uncover when it does its certification process.
On May 28 to 30, the Philippine Women’s Economic Network or Philwen (www.philwen.org) will be bringing delegates and sellers to the Women’s Pavilion and we are quite excited to meet the buyers from corporations and governments who may be in need of our products and services. Coffee, of course, will still be a main product needed by almost everyone.
What is an even better deal is that our fee to enter the expo and the event will be valid for the entire duration of the expo which is a long six months. An entrance fee is paid once then you can take several trips to Japan, bring different teams, all the way until October. For our May event, we will even be provided with a shuttle to and from the expo from our hotel and get special hotel rates because the Marriott, remember, is a member of WeConnect. That’s the beautiful connection within the organization. Every big name is just a handshake away.
Why do these corporations do it anyway? Why do governments choose to help? Because supplier diversity is an economic driver that moves more minority-owned companies to the fore, especially WOEs who are not able to participate in expensive biddings and tenders due to size or capital. Supplier diversity is the equalizer, and companies are introduced to many more vendors they otherwise would not have met if not for this initiative of WeConnect. There is a fee, of course, for the sustainability of the very effort WeConnect makes to certify vendors and suppliers. Buyers also are accredited by them to ensure the purveyors get paid on time and without issues.
In the Philippines, what we have is a government rule that a big part of the spend must come from micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), not just WOEs. But since women make up a big part of MSMEs, they are able to snag contracts with government, but not in the same spirit that WeConnect does. This law can further be improved to state WOEs as the ultimate beneficiary of contracts for small purchases in local government units (LGUs) or the National Government Agencies (NGAs) as PHILWEN would want it to be. Maybe we can find a sponsor among the women senatorial candidates and the current women senators. Women do need a leg up when it comes to being government suppliers as biddings are usually reserved for bigger companies, and women lack participation in partaking of government spend.
But we must not fret because there is WeConnect that can make us instant exporters or suppliers to bigger companies even if we are a small outfit. And the best way to know how it works is to come with us to Osaka in May. See how other WOEs do it, how buyers make a negotiation, and how sustainable your business can be if you open up to other buyers and sellers. The expo and the pavilion are open to both men and women, but the selling companies must be WOEs. Simple rules for complex and substantial orders.
The Expo runs from April 13 to Oct. 13 in Osaka, Japan. Its goal is to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the achievement of Japan’s National Strategy Society 5.0.
This article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines or MAP.
Chit U. Juan is co-vice chair of the MAP Environment Committee. She is also the president of the Philippine Coffee Board, Inc. and Slow Food Manila (www.slowfood.com).
