Oliberte – Creating Opportunities for Africa

I have always prided myself as a person with his own sense of style and fashion. Maybe it is the Nigerian in me or more the family I come from, but we were always told growing up that first impressions are everything (good & bad) so make the most of it. However, I feel what separates the style passed onto me in my family tree is the importance of recognizing “quality” and not necessarily the price tag that comes along with a purchase. As my old man would put it growing up; “I have been flashy before you were born”. That's some truth people, pop duke swag is legendary. Loooool…

An area of expertise of mine is definitely shoes. Trust and believe my shoe game is like that.  If you have any doubts just go ask the “Kool Keedz”, they will all agree and tell you their uncle’s shoe game is three words Ba-na-nas!!! It's real people, your man "P" stays fly like a G-6...

Ok people; let me get focused…

I want you to stop for a second and think, what do you own in your home that is “Made in Africa”?  I mean besides the beautiful handcrafted sculptures you hang up in your homes, I am willing to guess very little.  Even the bathroom tissue in your houses is probably not manufactured in the homeland.  Why? I do not have the answer but I do know that a big part of the issue is our own ignorance and naivety.  We Nigerians (Africans) are quick to dismiss our own and very rarely will give credit to others with innovative concepts and ideas (me included). So we all must do better from this standpoint.

As I research more about Nigeria and other African nations through this blogging experience; I learn so much every day, specifically – our natural resources.  Most people know of the crude oil and diamonds produced in Nigeria and Africa but there are other rich resources such as iron, cobalt, gold, uranium, copper, bauxite, silver and lumber available. Fact is, these are the ones known or discovered by man.  Imagine what else is out there yet to be exposed. 

So, a few weeks back I was sent a link by my brother to check out a one-of-a-kind story.  It was on Tal Dehtiar, founder and creator of Oliberte Footwear. For those unfamiliar with the company and have yet to discover their brand of shoes, Oliberte makes comfortable casual shoes for men/women (definitely getting a pair for the spring).  All of there footwear is currently manufactured entirely in African countries like Ethiopia, Liberia and Kenya – with hopes of expansion coming to other African nations. One can find and purchase their line of footwear in countries like Canada, Japan, Netherlands, Finland, USA, and on-line.

Oliberte’s mission is to support Africa’s infrastructure and help jump start the economy in hopes of creating new jobs and employment opportunities with its success.  When recently asked about why the interest in Africa, Dehtiar’s explained:

“We never have and still don’t see Africa that’s categorized by negative generalizations.  Oliberte believes that with the right partners, each country within Africa has the means to grow and support its people.  Oliberte partners with factories, suppliers, farmers and workers to produce premium footwear in Africa.”
(Tal Dehtiar)

In the past month, I have had the opportunity to talk with the man behind the Oliberte brand, Tal Dehtiar himself. I was fortunate enough to conduct a brief (Q&A) session to learn more about the direction of the company.

Panko:            What are your goals as a
                        company?
Tal:                 To be the largest
                        exporter of premium
                        footwear in Africa
                        and to employ directly
                        or indirectly at least
                        1 million people.

Panko:           Are you still looking
                       for or are in search
                       of investors?
Tal:                At this time, we have 
                       completed our initial
                       round of financing.

Panko:           How do you define
                       success?
Tal:                Staying around long
                      enough to create and
                      sustain 1 million jobs
                      while making fashionable
                      premium footwear for our 
                      customers.

Panko:          What do you want people
                      to know about your
                      company?
Tal:               When you buy a pair of 
                      Oliberte, not only are you 
                      buying a great shoe,
                      made of beautiful
                      Ethiopian leather and
                      natural  rubber – but
                      you are making a 
                      statement with each
                      purchase that you
                      believe in the future 
                      of Africa; one full of pride,
                      power and liberty. With
                      each pair of Oliberte
                      bought, we are creating
                      more and more need for
                      sustainable and fair 
                      manufacturing jobs in
                      Africa.

Seeing the success and rise of the Canadian born Tal Dehtiar and the vision for his Oliberte footwear company restores hope for me that one can have an impact in business but still hold on to their core values and principles. The fact that Oliberte was designed to intentionally address issues such as poverty in African communities alone garners my interest and support.

“If you want quality footwear, if you want to pay people right, if you want to treat them with respect, use good product, then come to Africa”.
(Tal Dehtiar) 

This is Africa…