Sweet Geneva
On this cold March day of Chicago, the Safari group left Chicago to visit Geneva (http://www.geneva.il.us/), a beautiful place near the windy city.
This day was a special sweet and chocolate day. As we went off the train we arrived in the typical Geneva streets which definitively make the charm of this place.
What was the most important thing about those visits is the quality of all the products used by the different speakers. For example Graham’s, Moveable Feast but also Valerie Beck pays a lot of attention to their products: they must be local sometimes and come from fair trade businesses. That’s how; we discovered a main problem of the chocolate supply chain: sending the chocolate from the farms to the US. Chocolate is a sensitive product that needs the right temperature to maintain its high quality: not too warm and not to cold. That’s how Professor Beck had a lot of trouble bringing her chocolate back to the US, but with time and researches she found the best delivery company. It’s funny because it’s one of the main parts of the chocolate business in fact, bringing the coco beans to your firm but it’s probably one of the parts we all tend to forget, and it’s not the less complicated!
Around noun we went to a very nice authentic and vegan restaurant were we had lunch all together and the mayor M. Burns, a special guest, joined us to talk to us about Geneva. After that, we went to the Jane Pabon Boutique, a cute clothes shop, just before taking the train back to Chicago. This visit at the store taught me something I wasn’t really aware of: all the businesses here in Geneva work together. Which means that in this boutique you could have some chocolate from Graham’s as a gift for purchases. All businesses work together because as we were told, if one business works, all businesses will work and that how Geneva attracts the clients. It’s really interesting how this city created a community that supports each other; I think their economy based on trust and quality (of products and services) should be a model for every city worldwide.
It was a busy and interesting day we will all remember. I still think that I have two favorite parts: the Graham’s products because I really enjoyed their delicious chocolate but also the kindness of the whole family and also the speech we had about the businesses helping each other in Geneva.
Hello Flavie,
ReplyDeleteIt's a very interesting post!
I have one question; do you think that working with your family, like Bob’s family, is a good or a bad thing for the business?
Alice Henry
Hi Alice !
DeleteThank you.
To be honest I think there are two sides of working with your family. I couldn't do it, but I'm sure some people don't mind. I think that the most important problem you have to care about is "separate the people from the problem" because it's not the same relationship if it's your family or just co-workers. That's why I think it can be hard and not professionnal to work with your family.
What do you think ?
Flavie, excellent insight about Geneva businesses supporting each other. That's part of what makes this town special indeed, and that's the power of networking, multiplied!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. And you're right, the businesses and networking in Geneva is really what makes this little city special and attractive.
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