{"id":29,"date":"2016-07-05T17:40:03","date_gmt":"2016-07-05T17:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brentblack.com\/cart\/?page_id=29"},"modified":"2016-07-12T16:22:55","modified_gmt":"2016-07-12T16:22:55","slug":"brent-black-business-practices","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/aboutus-overview\/brent-black-business-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Practices and Ethics"},"content":{"rendered":"

What we do and why we do it.<\/h2>\n
\n

(Who cares? is\u00a0not an unreasonable response)<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Man_Working_Hat_9848\"<\/p>\n

Why the Business Exists<\/strong>\u2014The business was created in 1988 with the\u00a0specific goal to prevent the impending extinction of the art of fine hat\u00a0weaving in Montecristi.<\/p>\n

Weavers, artisans, dealers, all told me that hat weaving was diminishing\u00a0year by year. In 1986, author Tom Miller (The Panama Hat Trail<\/a>) predicted the demise of fine hat weaving\u00a0within twenty years.<\/p>\n

I read the book, went to Montecristi, and fell in love with the hats. I\u00a0figured that if people weren\u2019t weaving as many hats as they used to, it\u00a0was because people weren\u2019t buying as many hats as they used to. If people\u00a0would show up with stacks of money to buy hats, other people would show up with\u00a0stacks of hats to exchange for the money. Simple. To save the art, I must buy\u00a0lots of hats to increase the demand. If I buy lots of hats, I must also sell\u00a0lots of hats. Hence, the business.<\/p>\n

\n

Hat Buying<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

Money Talks<\/strong>\u2014How do we save the art of fine hat weaving? Simple. Buy as\u00a0many hats as possible. Increased demand should result in increased supply.<\/p>\n

If we want there to be hat weavers in ten years, then hat weavers now must\u00a0earn more from weaving hats than they can earn by taking a different job. One\u00a0hundred years ago, even fifty years ago, there simply were not any other ways\u00a0to earn a living. Now there are.<\/p>\n

Hat weavers must earn enough to enjoy a reasonable quality of life.\u00a0Otherwise, no one will choose to be a hat weaver, now that there are jillions\u00a0of other occupations to choose from.<\/p>\n

Buying from Dealers<\/strong>\u2014For the first fifteen years, I purchased hats only\u00a0from the established dealers in Montecristi. I worked within the existing\u00a0system. I learned that the existing system is the continuation of a century-old\u00a0feudal mercantile system with weavers at the very bottom. The system was built\u00a0upon the previous reality that weavers had no options, no other way to earn a\u00a0living, so buyers made all the rules.<\/p>\n

Even today, the person who buys a hat from the weaver\u2014and drives it to\u00a0Montecristi to sell to one of the dealers there\u2014often earns more than the\u00a0weaver! There was no established grading system, no apparent pricing system.\u00a0There was a very loose correlation between price and quality.<\/p>\n

A weaver did not necessarily earn more for a hat with 24 rows\/inch than for\u00a0one with 18 rows\/inch. Year after year, the dealers refused to pay extra\u00a0dollars for extra work, or for better work. Eventually, the weavers virtually\u00a0stopped weaving larger size hats and hats with wide brims. The weavers learned\u00a0to weave the least fine hats they could while still receiving the same pay.\u00a0They wove slightly shorter hats. They favored small head sizes. They tried to\u00a0weave faster, making more mistakes. They simply defended themselves as best\u00a0they could against abusive market practices. You and I would do the same.<\/p>\n

Year after year, I tried to persuade the dealers I worked with to change\u00a0their business practices, to pay the weavers more. I stipulated I would pay\u00a0more. I learned that paying more to the dealers was not the same as paying more\u00a0to the weavers. To pay the weavers more, I must pay the weavers directly.<\/p>\n

Understand that the dealers were not wealthy hat lords lighting cigars with\u00a0hundred-dollar bills. But they did achieve an enviable middle class lifestyle\u00a0out of reach of the weavers, and part of the methodology was to pay as little\u00a0as possible and fairness be damned. They did not seem to see the bigger\u00a0picture: they were putting themselves out of business by forcing weavers to\u00a0look for other work. No weavers, no hats. No hats, no business.<\/p>\n

Buying Directly from Weavers<\/strong>\u2014When possible, I now buy directly from\u00a0the weavers. To do that effectively, I became we. I now have two partners in\u00a0Montecristi, Jorge and Diego, who are making good things happen. (Diego is now\u00a0a contract fireman for a U.S. military base in Djibouti, but he will be back to\u00a0help again.)<\/p>\n

When we buy directly from weavers, we can be certain weavers actually\u00a0receive the pay increases we believe are necessary to the survival of the art.\u00a0And when we offer higher prices, other buyers are forced to offer higher prices\u00a0also, to prevent us from just buying all the hats. As intended, the weavers are\u00a0the primary beneficiaries of this change. My buying practices are more popular\u00a0with weavers than with other buyers.<\/p>\n

\"Three_Hats_Weave_Stand_9357\"<\/p>\n

My accountant doesn\u2019t understand my buying practices either. He never\u00a0heard of a business trying to force up the prices it pays for its supply.\u00a0Simple: by increasing prices now, I am trying to increase the likelihood that I\u00a0(and the rest of the world) will still have a supply five years from now, ten\u00a0years from now.<\/p>\n

Pay More, Pay Extra<\/strong>\u2014We pay weavers more than other buyers pay. We pay\u00a0Montecristi artisans more than others pay. We pay the weavers extra for hats\u00a0that are larger sizes, have wider brims, or both. We pay extra for finer hats,\u00a0for better hats. If we want the weavers to work more hours, we pay them more\u00a0dollars. The same with the artisans who finish the hats.<\/p>\n

Organized System of Buying Prices<\/strong>\u2014We decide how much to pay for a hat\u00a0after we:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. count the weave,<\/li>\n
  2. decide if the rows are straight and even,<\/li>\n
  3. make sure there are no problems with the straw color, holes, damage,
    \netc.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    We also measure the size of the hat, the crown height, the brim width. All\u00a0of these factors are considered when determining a price for the hat.<\/p>\n

    We use the same system for everyone. Sometimes we pay more than the weavers\u00a0ask. (see related story<\/a>) Sometimes\u00a0we do not buy. We explain our prices and our reasons. No mysteries, no games,\u00a0no gotcha. We do not try to get the best of them. They are not our adversaries;\u00a0they are our heroes. In business terms: without them there is no business. For\u00a0us to survive, they must survive. For us to flourish, they must flourish.<\/p>\n

    We want the weavers to understand the value of their hats, what makes one\u00a0hat worth more than another, how to weave hats that will bring higher prices.\u00a0We believe weavers will weave better hats if they understand exactly what\u00a0\u201cbetter\u201d means, and exactly how much more it pays.<\/p>\n

    Unprecedented Sales Commissions for Weavers<\/strong>\u2014We represent the very best\u00a0weavers much like an art gallery represents painters. Even better. First, we\u00a0pay the weavers higher-than-market prices to purchase their hats. Then, when\u00a0the hats are sold, the weavers and other artisans also receive\u00a0bonuses\/commissions up to 40% of the sale price. One weaver has already\u00a0received a check for one hat that was equal to what he used to earn in an\u00a0entire year. A second weaver received a check for more than what he used to\u00a0earn in two years.<\/p>\n

    Sim\u00f3n Espinal is now the highest paid weaver in history, just based\u00a0on his base pay, before adding in his commissions.<\/p>\n

    Hey! I want some of that<\/strong>\u2014We want weavers of the very finest hats to\u00a0earn more than any weavers have ever earned. We want their standard of living\u00a0to increase visibly. Weave better, live better.<\/p>\n

    If fine weaving is well rewarded, many will aspire to become fine weavers.\u00a0When a kid from the inner city gets a big NBA contract, the playground hoops\u00a0become more crowded. I\u2019m trying to do something similar with hat\u00a0weaving.<\/p>\n

    Discoverers of the Obvious<\/strong>\u2014We simply do what seems to us to be\u00a0obvious. Be fair. Extra pay for extra work. Better pay for better work. The\u00a0very best artists must live well enough to inspire others to want to be the\u00a0best. Montecristi hats should have a grading system so buyers and sellers can\u00a0both understand and use the same system.<\/p>\n

    Supplies for Weavers<\/h2>\n
    \n

    \"Forms_for_Weavers\"Forms for Weavers<\/strong>\u2014Large size hats were no longer being woven. Weavers no\u00a0longer even had wooden weaving forms in large sizes. In May 2006, we provided\u00a070 free forms to weavers in Pile and Las Pampas. Mainly large sizes that no one\u00a0had. Now weavers can fill the demand for large size hats. We do not place any\u00a0restrictions on the use of our forms. The weavers may weave hats that they sell\u00a0to someone else. We will do this as often as the special type of wood can be\u00a0found, cured, and shaped. We pay more for larger size hats woven on these\u00a0forms. We have more cured wood now, and more forms are being made.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    \"Sulfur_Distribution\" Free Sulfur<\/strong>\u2014The weavers have a constant need for sulfur powder. The tallos of\u00a0soon-to-be straw, the prepared straw, and the hats are all smoked with burning\u00a0sulfur to kill off any fungus that might turn the straw black. We now provide,\u00a0free of charge, two types of sulfur powder to the weavers of Pile. Pure sulfur\u00a0and a weaker, diluted powder that is part sulfur and part other stuff. Each\u00a0type works for a different purpose, a different phase of production. This\u00a0program is working very well and is extremely popular.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    \"Straw_and_Cogollos\"Free Straw?<\/strong> We are trying to find a good straw maker we can pay to harvest cogollos\u00a0and prepare straw for weavers. For weavers who now prepare their own straw,\u00a0this will leave them more time to weave. Preparing the straw is a\u00a0time-consuming process.\u00b9<\/a>, \u00b2<\/a>\u00a0For those weavers who purchase straw already prepared, we will save them the\u00a0cost of the straw and leave them with more money for food and clothing. We are\u00a0still in the beginning stages of this project.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    More Than Hats<\/h2>\n
    \n

    Man does not live by hats alone. We also do more than do\u00a0business.<\/p>\n

    \"Ecuador_Soccer_Jerseys\"<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Soccer Jerseys<\/strong>\u2014When Ecuador made its first-ever appearance in the\u00a0World Cup, we bought Ecuador soccer jerseys for twenty of the best weavers.\u00a0They loved them.<\/p>\n

    Sponsor of the Pile Soccer Team<\/strong>\u2014We pay for the uniforms and equipment\u00a0of the Pile soccer team. I asked to name the team. I named them the Pile\u00a0Superfinos. Works for the hats, and no one would object to being called a\u00a0super-fine person.<\/p>\n

    I let them choose their own uniforms of course. But in my fantasies, I\u00a0imagine designing new uniforms that are serious Superfly fashion statements,\u00a0truly super-fine uniforms. I also imagine the team taking the field with some\u00a0kind of rhythmic chant, like the football team in Remember the Titans (the\u00a0screenwriter of Titans is a client). Super fine.<\/p>\n

    My one problem with the soccer team is that Sim\u00f3n is the goalie. The\u00a0best weaving hands in the world are in harm\u2019s way every time someone\u00a0kicks a ball at the Superfinos\u2019 goal. I freaked. I immediately went out\u00a0and bought the best goalie gloves I could find and gave them to Sim\u00f3n. I\u00a0hope he wears them.<\/p>\n

    \"tour_06_25_IMG_3872_crop\"<\/p>\n

    Thanksgiving Dinner<\/strong>\u2014We once sponsored a Thanksgiving dinner for\u00a0weavers and their families at Jorge\u2019s hotel restaurant. The food was\u00a0delicious. Everyone had a special day. For the kids, the hotel swimming pool\u00a0was an even bigger treat than the meal. They had never ever been in a swimming\u00a0pool. And it wasn\u2019t just a big deal for the kids. Sim\u00f3n\u2019s\u00a0mother was so enthralled by the swimming pool that she stripped down to her bra\u00a0and panties and got in the pool herself.<\/p>\n

    Par-ty! Par-ty! Par-ty!<\/strong>\u2014Many years ago, after my first visit to Pile,\u00a0the Delgados told me that there had never been a fiesta in Pile. No parties?\u00a0Not ever? Didn\u2019t seem right. So the hat company sponsored the first-ever\u00a0Pile Fiesta Day. We brought in a big meal and fed 500 people. We also brought\u00a0in a disco-mobile and got them all dancing and partying. Hard to say who had\u00a0more fun\u2014them doing or me watching.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \"Team_Superfinos_Combo\"<\/p>\n

    The Superfinos<\/strong>\u2014We sponsor Pile\u2019s soccer team. Sim\u00f3n, the\u00a0best weaver in the world, is its goalie. Be sure to wear those gloves,\u00a0Sim\u00f3n!<\/p>\n

    \"Pile_Food_Watermelon_Kid\"<\/p>\n

    Free Food Staples<\/strong>\u2014Back in my early days, before the foundation, I also\u00a0funded a project to provide food staples for the weavers. Rice, sugar, cooking\u00a0oil. Good project, never enough money.]<\/p>\n

    \"Rice_Lady_and_Rice_Truck\"<\/p>\n

    I\u2019m doing my best to do my best to save this art.<\/p>\n

    Growing the Global Market<\/h2>\n

    In order to save the art of fine hat weaving, weavers and artisans must earn\u00a0better pay (or soon there will be no weavers and artisans), and global demand\u00a0for Montecristi hats must increase. As prices paid to weavers and artisans\u00a0increase, retail prices will also increase. For consumers to want to buy\u00a0Montecristi hats, and to be willing to pay fair (i.e. high) prices for them,\u00a0they must understand why the hats are desirable and well worth the prices.<\/p>\n

    On the supply side, we are raising wages for weavers and artisans, providing\u00a0free forms and sulfur to reduce their expenses, establishing fair buying\u00a0practices, paying extraordinary commissions for extraordinary hats, trying to\u00a0find a way to protect the land and the plants that supply the straw, and on and\u00a0on.<\/p>\n

    On the market side, our goals are:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. To raise overall awareness of Montecristi hats,<\/li>\n
    2. To increase consumer desire to own and wear Montecristi hats,<\/li>\n
    3. To offer Montecristi hats for sale to fill as much of the demand as
      \npossible.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The colorful history of these legendary hats is very interesting to most\u00a0people. The complex and difficult process of preparing the straw, weaving and\u00a0finishing the hats, then blocking and styling them has also proven to be\u00a0interesting enough to engage readers and listeners. The more that people know\u00a0and understand about Montecristi hats, the more likely they will be to want\u00a0one. We must get the information out into the market, spread the\u00a0word.<\/p>\n

      \n

      \"Documentary_Shoot_Weavers\"<\/p>\n

      Working with the Media<\/strong>\u2014We make every effort to encourage media\u00a0coverage of Montecristi hats. We provide hi-resolution photo images at no\u00a0charge on request. We have provided photos for magazines literally all around\u00a0the world. We are happy to provide whatever general and specific information is\u00a0requested, and even help write the piece if it will help. (see media coverage<\/a>) The more media coverage, the more\u00a0awareness. The more awareness, the more demand. The more demand, the more\u00a0sale \u2014for everyone who sells Montecristi hats, not just for us.<\/p>\n

      World\u2019s Most Extensive Reference Library<\/strong>\u2014The Photo Tour<\/a> on this web site presents, in text and\u00a0photos, the most complete, most detailed documentation of the process of making\u00a0Montecristi hats that can be found anywhere, online or off. The site also\u00a0provides extensive information about \u201cgrading\u201d and pricing\u00a0Montecristi hats, how to determine your proper size, Panama hats in the movies,\u00a0famous people who have worn Panama hats, and on and on. We know that shoppers\u00a0sometimes read everything on the site then make a purchase elsewhere. Every\u00a0Panama hat sale helps to save the art, no matter who makes the sale. We are\u00a0delighted to be able to help grow the total market. Naturally, we hope most of\u00a0you will choose to buy your Montecristi Panama hats from us. And judging by how\u00a0busy it is around here, even in the \u201coff\u201d season, most of you do.\u00a0Thank you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

      \n

      \"Grading_Hats_275px\"New Montecristi Hat Grading System<\/strong>\u2014In 2002 we published on this web\u00a0site a new grading system<\/a> for Montecristi\u00a0Panama hats, beginning with a formula for counting the fineness of the weave:\u00a0the Montecristi Cuenta. The Montecristi Cuenta weave count has become the\u00a0industry and Internet standard for comparing Montecristi Panama hats. We soon\u00a0will expand the system to include measurements\/indicators of Weave Quality and\u00a0Straw Color.<\/p>\n

      When you are buying a diamond, the four factors that determine the price are\u00a0Carats, Clarity, Color, Cut. The four factors one would use to\u00a0\u201cgrade\u201d a Montecristi hat are: Weave Fineness<\/em> (how many rows of\u00a0weave per inch), Weave Quality\u00a0<\/em>(how straight and even are the rows), Straw\u00a0Color<\/em>, Blocking<\/em>. The \u201c4 C\u2019s\u201d are a lot easier to remember\u00a0than this hat grading system. FQSB<\/em> isn\u2019t very catchy, is it? Suggestions\u00a0welcome.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      What we do and why we do it. (Who cares? is\u00a0not an unreasonable response) Why the Business Exists\u2014The business was created in 1988 with the\u00a0specific goal to prevent the impending extinction of the art of fine hat\u00a0weaving in Montecristi. Weavers, artisans, dealers, all told me that hat weaving was diminishing\u00a0year by year. In 1986, author […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":1003,"parent":27,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-29","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3353,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29\/revisions\/3353"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}