The Bali Curator

FAQ

Do I need to come to Bali to work with you?

As much as we would love to meet you in person, it is not necessary for you to come to Bali to work with us. We are used to working with our clients remotely. We mainly communicate with our clients through email and videocalls. During the project we will act as your eyes and ears on the ground in Bali, while you stay in your own country. We will represent you when visiting manufacturers, manage the production and do quality control. We will of course always provide detailed reports about the progress of your project. If however you do have plans to visit Bali, we will be very happy to meet you and invite you on a sourcing tour to meet with manufacturers directly.

What are your MOQs?

We do not have a Minimum Order Quantity, however most of our production partners do require minimum quantities. We can start from low quantities (25 pieces / style for garment production and 10 pieces / style for jewelry / homewares), however the requirements will change between different manufacturers. At the start of your project we will ask you about your preferred order quantity and timelines, we will then source a production partner that has the capacity to work with the preferred quantities. For smaller quantities we will usually collaborate with independent artisans who are working from their homes, whereas for bigger quantities we may connect you to a bigger factory, or collaborate with multiple artisans.

What are the challenges when manufacturing in Bali?

The most heard challenges when it comes to manufacturing in Bali is communication. From our observation we can say that communication issues are sometimes caused by language barriers, which makes communication difficult (especially when done remotely), but more often they are caused by different expectations from the brands and the artisans about the process and the result. This can lead to disappointed clients when deadlines are not met, or frustrated artisans when they are asked to revise products that were already made. From what we have seen, the way in which many brands present their designs and briefs to the artisans is often not being understood by the artisans, or lacks information which leaves a lot of room for interpretation during the production process. On the other hand, limited communication about design details that are not clear or not workable and lack of education from the artisans to their clients about the process does not help to make sure both the artisans and the brands are on the same page regarding the design details, production methods and timelines.

Why should I work with a production manager?

If you are new to manufacturing (in Bali), a production manager can help to guide you through the process and help you to avoid making costly mistakes. An experienced production manager who is present on the ground during the production process can help to avoid and overcome the above mentioned communication challenges, as well as make the process more efficient for both the client and the producer.

If you are an established brand and have been managing your production processes yourself, you know the work that has to be done, and you also know how much time it can cost you to manage your production process well and maintain good relationships with you production partners. A trustworthy production manager can take care of the production for you and help to maintain good relationships between your brand and your production partners, while you focus on other tasks to grow your business.

Why should I work with The Bali Curator?

If you hire The Bali Curator as your agent throughout the process, we will help to make sure the artisans understand exactly what you want to have made, and we will also explain the processes to you, in order to explain why certain requests may not be workable and work together on finding alternatives that are workable for both you and the artisans. We call this co-creation. Other than that, we will give consultation about the process based on our experience in sourcing and production management. This way we make sure to anticipate on risks during production, and most importantly make sure you and the artisans are all working towards the same goal when it comes to timelines and results.

Next to supporting artisans and families in Bali by choosing to co-create and collaborate in a way that is beneficial for both you and the artisans, by working with The Bali Curator you are supporting an ambitious team with talented people from various backgrounds, who are given a chance to develop their personal skills and reach their personal goals. At The Bali Curator we work compactly together as a family and support each other in order to reach our company's and personal goals, while providing the best possible service for our clients. (Click here to read more about our team).

Our clients are both start-ups and established brands, their levels vary from start-up companies run by only one person to big multi-national companies. We offer personalized services and are happy to work with any serious client, regardless of the size of the company or the production amount. What our clients have in common is that they value co-creation and fairness throughout their supply chain as much as we do.

We offer services outside the actual sourcing and production management tasks. We can help you with techpacks, sample development, creating labels/hang tags, and also create professional, high-resolution photo stories of your production process and organize campaign shoots of your final products.

Another important point is that PT. The Bali Curator is a legally registered, tax-paying company. It is important for your business that you are working with a legal entity.

Why do you call yourself an ethical sourcing consultant?

Great question, we're glad you asked! There is no universal definition of what 'ethical production' means or how it can be measured, and therefore it is important to explain what we mean by it. For us, ethical production means a collaborative process where all parties are empowered and projects that are beneficial for all parties involved. In our day-to-day practices this means that the artisans will be actively involved in the process of deciding on pricing and timelines for a project. If these timelines or budgets are not workable for our clients, we will not push the artisans to go over their limits, but we will look for solutions to make the project workable for both parties. For example, we may suggest changes in the design to make it more affordable to make. Another important element in our way of working is clarity. Instead of requesting 'quality' from the artisans and protesting when the 'quality' was not delivered, we will be very specific about confirming the design and construction details before starting the production process. This way we make sure that client, artisan and our team are on the same page and all have realistic expectations regarding the outcome of the production. We will provide consultation to our clients about these strategies, and that is why we call ourselves an Ethical Sourcing Consultant.

How many people will come on a Sourcing Tour?

Our Sourcing Tours are custom made, tailored to each client's needs. So therefore they are private. You can bring a friend/partner with you on the tour. If you would like to join with more than two people, please let us know at the time of booking so we can arrange transport and lunch for your group. You will be accompanied by our driver and a guide from our team during the tour. Your guide will share experiences and knowledge with you during the tour and help with translations and consultation when visiting the manufacturers.

To be able to create a tour schedule that suits to your needs, we will ask you to provide as much as possible details about your designs or the products you would like to source at the time of booking. The more details you can provide, the better we will be able to prepare a tour that will introduce you to manufacturers that suit to your project. We recommend to book your tour at least one month in advance.

Will I be able to visit the manufacturer/artisans myself?

Absolutely! If you get to visit Bali we strongly recommend to visit your manufacturer. We can organize a visit for you and introduce you to the manufacturer we have sourced for you. While we do strongly encourage to build a relationship with your manufacturer, we do also ask for communication about the project to go through The Bali Curator as long as we are working for you. This is to avoid confusion and misunderstandings when the manufacturer gets instructions both from you and also from us.

*If you are planning to do the production management for your project by yourself, or have in-house staff to do this for you, but need some help to find the right production partner(s) for your production, we strongly recommend becoming a member of our Satutuju platform. As a member you'll have access to all our recommended artisans, manufacturers, designers and photographers in Bali.

*The Satutuju platform will launch in the 1st half of 2022. Please subscribe to our newsletter here if you would like to be notified when we launch!

Do you work with start-ups?

Yes! Our clients are both start-ups and established brands.

What type of products and manufacturers do you source?

If it can be made in Bali, we will work on it. If you are not sure if your product can be produced in Bali, please feel free to send an email to enquiry@thebalicurator.com and we will gladly advice. For some projects we might advice that it will be better to do the sourcing in Java. We do also have contacts with some makers there and do organize sourcing trips to Java, but there will be some extra costs for transport and accommodation. Please follow our Instagram (www.instagram.com/thebalicurator) for regular updates about projects we are working on.

Where are you based?

Our office is located at jl. Gunung Soputan no. 61 in West Denpasar. Our office is at the ground floor and our Sample Room is on the first floor. Please see our contact page for our address and contact details. We kindly ask you to make an appointment if you plan to visit our office.

Do you have a product catalogue?

We do not have a catalogue with all available products in Bali, because collections are often changing and suppliers are often launching new products. If you are looking to source wholesale / private label goods, we will ask you to provide a moodboard and we can do custom sourcing for you based on your moodboard and provided brief. This way we can provided customized service and offer products that are specifically sourced for your brand.

Can you sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) before I send you any designs?

Yes, that is no problem! If you send us an NDA before you send us your designs we will sign it.

We do ask you to make sure that the designs you ask us our the manufacturers to sign an NDA for are actually your own unique designs.

How much do you charge?

Our fee will depend on what services you need from us. As we are hired as your production manager, and not your manufacturer, we clearly separate our service fees from the costs of the goods that are bought our produced. This way we keep pricing and payments to all parties involved in the project transparent, while we also protect our independent status as your agent, as we are not dependent on commissions. For production management services we will work with a contract based on a monthly fee. Whereas for sourcing tours and photo stories you will pay a one-time fee per project. For sample development in our Sample Room we will charge per style, and for Quality Control we will charge per piece. The price of each service will depend on the scope of work.

When we have received your enquiry, we will send you a questionnaire with some questions that will help us understand how we could help you. If we believe the project will be workable in Bali, we will invite you for a complimentary videocall or meeting in our office to discuss further. Based on the information you have provided in the questionnaire and during the videocall or meeting, we will create a custom proposal for you, so you will only pay for the services you actually need.

To submit your enquiry, please get in touch by email to enquiry@thebalicurator.com or through the contact form on this website.

Who should I contact for public speaking, press or event related questions?
Please contact our Co-Founder, Cecile, at cecile@thebalicurator.com.