Last Forest Enterprises

Providing a marketing platform for organic and fair-trade products
2014 SEED Low Carbon Award; IKI BMU
Biodiversity
Kotagiri -Nilgiris
India

The enterprise focuses on developing the market for untapped and under-valued sectors. 68 organic, fair trade or indigenous products are procured, quality-checked and branded by the enterprise from eight production clusters and sold at three enterprise-operated retail shops, supplied to retail dealers or marketed and sold on e-commerce portals. 

The marketing platform focuses on quality control, fair trade, sustainable harvesting and integration with small-holder producers, farmers, forest-dwellers and the indigenous community. Products include honey, timber products, garments, organic tea and handicrafts.

By providing a marketing platform for organic, fair trade and forest-based products, Last Forest increases the demand for organic agricultural production and offers indigenous communities a sustainable source of income. This strengthens their pride and dignity and enables families to invest in health and education. Part of the profit and fair trade premium are channelled to the community.

Eco-Inclusive Impacts
Last Forest increases the demand for organic agricultural production and offers indigenous communities a sustainable source of income. This strengthens their pride and dignity and enables families to invest in health and education.
  • Offering local communities skills training and a work opportunity, thus strengthening their pride and dignity.
  • Providing health insurance to honey hunters.
  • Enabling household investments in health and education, a success that can already be witnessed.
  • Increasing organic agricultural production in 89 villages by 50%.
  • Adopting sustainable land-use that promote climate change adaptation on 80% of project sites.
  • Increasing sustainable harvesting practices of all forest products within the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve by 90%.
  • Channelling 40% of profit and premium to the community for education, infrastructure and village development.
  • Increasing the number of product dealers to 200, expanding income-generating opportunities.
  • Reaching out to indigenous communities groups.

Partners

Last Forest Enterprises is a marketing platform promoting fair-trade principles, sustainable harvesting and biodiversity in India. The enterprise markets and sells 68 kinds of organic, forest-based or indigenous products such as handicrafts, garments, honey and timber products. Founded by a non-profit, the platform sells the sourced and branded products at its own retail sites or on e-commerce portals.

Last Forest Pvt. Ltd. is in charge of quality-checking, branding and marketing the products. It operates three retail shops and networks with wholesale dealers and e-commerce platforms.

The Aadhimalai Producer Company is a co-operative that coordinates and organises the eight production centres specialising in organic and value-added forest products.

Keystone Foundation works with indigenous communities in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve on ecodevelopment initiatives and networks with larger institutions and governmental branches.