Kreolor opens boutique in airport’s departure lounge |25 May 2007

The opening coincided with the 17th anniversary of the signing of an agreement between the Seychelles Government and the company’s managing director, Claudio Izzi, for the setting up of a joint venture to manufacture and sell gold jewellery.

Kreolor, which has 36 employees and a factory at Le Rocher, produces and sells jewellery in 18 carat gold and a wide selection of high quality items using local natural materials.

In his speech to mark the occasion, the Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, Ronny Jumeau, hailed the company for its utilisation of local materials to produce the high quality products.

“It is always immensely gratifying, especially for us Seychellois, to see one of our own quality products making such strides.

“Kreolor has been one of the pioneers in Seychelles, of combining precious metals with local natural materials,” Minister Jumeau said, naming some of the materials used by the company, which include coconut, calice du pape and takamaka timber, palm seeds from raphia and latanier, as well as swordfish bill and coconut shells.

“The results are original products that can be as sensual as they are exotic,” Minister Jumeau said, adding that the company offers unique top quality Creole products, saying it is impossible to “mistake the Kreolor design for anyone else’s.”

“It is therefore only fitting that Kreolor should be present in the departure lounge of Seychelles International Airport, which will ensure that one of the last sights that departing visitors will have of Seychelles will be beautiful, top quality Seychellois craftsmanship, that truly reflects the unmatched seductive beauty of our islands,” he said.

The chief executive officer of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), Gilbert Faure, said that Kreolor won the contract to run the shop because of the high quality of the company’s products, and utilization of local materials in them.

He later told Nation that given the patronage received by other souvenir shops at the airport, “it has fast become clear that passengers travelling in and out of the country are keen consumers of duty free goods and appreciate the extra services and shops at the airport”.
Mr Faure said that new shops and kiosks are expected to be opened in the short and medium term, “as well as new and innovative services to be offered as SCAA’s portfolio evolves.”

In his speech, Mr Izzi said that the partnership his company has with government “still stands today, 17 years on, stronger than ever.”

He said that the main objective of the company has been to develop strategies to create employment and to be financially viable making an excellent product that is truly “made in Seychelles.”

The managing director said that in 1990, he started to train a group of six Seychellois to become goldsmiths, and in May 1991 Kreolor opened its first shop in Victoria, with its second starting in 1993 on La Digue.

“In 1996 our workforce was made up of 13 employees and in 1998 we purchased the assets of Seychelles Creations to set up the craft section, bringing the number of people engaged to 20,” he said, noting that the company has opened four more boutiques and plans to have a workforce of 40 by the end of 2007.

After opening the boutique, Vice-President Belmont and other guests, who included Cabinet Ministers, viewed the items displayed in the new shop, and learned from Mr Izzi that the company sells the entire stock it produces, with 40,000 pieces having been sold off during the last three years only.