Thinking about new Philippine tour

Before our February/March bead tour of Hong Kong, we explored the Philippines to see if we could find bead factories there to buy beads and lead a bead tour in the future. We flew into Cebu City where most of the Philippine handicraft industry is located and spent 4 days meeting with several different factories that produce beads of different kinds. We found 2 wood bead manufacturers, 2 resin bead makers and a snake skin bead and bangle maker. Also a shell bead manufacturer. They were all small cottage industry factories, mostly located at their homes, with anywhere from 2 to 10 workers.

Prices were really good, and the factories were very easy to work with and willing to meet low minimums and any stringing or production requests to land the business from us.

Hotels and transportation costs were low, and with a 43 peso to $1 US exchange rate making us feel rich, dinners and any other expenses were easily affordable. The people were wonderful. The weather was hot and fabulous, a little humid, so we realized that we would have to take it slow during a tour with lots of time off to relax by the pool between factory visits.

We have done a lot of research into US Fish and Wildlife permits and import requirements from the Philippines and so will be able to assist any one who goes with us on a tour in the future when shipping their goods home.

Keep watching for future dates of a working bead tour to the Philippines.

J-Me and Guy are the owners of Wild Things Beads, a small family run import business specializing in Czech glass beads and buttons and finding the unusual to bring to their warehouse. They also run working bead tours to Jablonec and Hong Kong. Their warehouse is located deep in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California, and can be reached by phone at (530)743 1339 or on the web at www.wildthingsbeads.com. They are also open by appointment at their warehouse.