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Colombian leather manufacturers are making their mark in the United States. So stated Jerry Kallman, a member of the largest independent retail entrepreneur group that specializes in luggage in the USA.
" Colombia' s leather works is a mix between old methods for working with leather and the novelty and luxury of their product adapted to the market' s demands," explained the entrepreneur and president of the National Luggage Dealers Association (NLDA). This entity is composed of 130 companies that sell in all 50 states.
Kallman will be part of th next Business Matchmaking Forum organized by PROCOLOMBIA in Chicago, September 4 and 5. This is part of the entity' s strategy to ensure that Colombian exporters take advantage of the free trade agreements with the United States and Canada.
" To do business with us, our first consideration is the quality someone can offer, which is facilitated by the equipment and machines they have," said the entrepreneur.
Secondly, the Association requires providers have direct access to the leather, the linings used in its elaboration and the labeling and packing tools necessary to meet the quality standards of its clients
The Association will come to the forum with these demands in search of new providers. " Since 1983, I' ve purchased Colombian products for my company, Airline International. And since 1986, I' ve done so for the entire Association," he explained. He also added that there were two characteristics of Colombian leather that make it his favorite: the quality of the raw material and the added value.
" The materials from the Andean mountains is thicker and has fewer insect bite marks. You need only touch it to know how good it is. It is the best money can buy and surprisingly, it isn' t expensive," he stated.
The interest of American buyers such as Kallman, added to the positive effects of the Free Trade Agreement, can be seen in the export figures. According to the information from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism and data from DANE, the leather manufacturing sector experienced the second greatest growth in total sales of clothing to the US since the agreement went into effect.
Between June 2012 and June 2013, there was a 11.7% growth in comparison with the June 2011 to June 2012 period, moving from USD 49.71 million to USD 55.5 million.
Read Jerry Kallman' s blog about Colombian luggage here: http://bit.ly/1foF5LN.
