We pay our batik workshops per piece, at the price they quote, and we never bargain it down. Newer partners are paid in full before their goods ship; long-term partners are paid within one business week of delivery. Here is how it works, step by step.
Artisans set the price
Every order starts with a quote from our master artisans, the owners of the family-run batik workshops in Cirebon and Yogyakarta we have worked with for six years. We accept that quote as it is. We don't negotiate it down, and we don't treat it as a cost to squeeze.
If a new design turns out to take longer, or the cost of cotton or dye goes up, the rate goes up too, before work starts or once samples are made. Artisans shouldn't absorb the cost of a more complicated design.
Above the minimum wage, hour for hour
Our per-piece prices pay our batik artisans above the regional minimum wage in Cirebon, West Java, for every hour of work. The minimum wage is a floor we stay above, not a target, and we check our rates against published wage data every year.
When the money arrives
Late payment is one of the most common ways small makers get hurt by overseas buyers. So we fix the timing in advance:
- Newer partners are paid in full before goods ship. They carry no risk on our order.
- Long-term partners are paid within one business week after the goods arrive and pass quality control.
- Advances of 30–50% of the order are available whenever a workshop asks, to cover fabric and dye up front.
All payments go by bank transfer. We never pay in goods or credit.
Who pays whom
We pay each workshop. The workshop owner then pays their own team, by the day or half day, in cash. We respect that the workshop owner runs their business; our job is to make sure the price we pay is high enough for them to pay their team fairly.
We show artisans our side of the price, too
We share our cost structure with our partners: quality control, international freight and import duties, and the cost of reaching US customers. When artisans see the full chain, they can see their price is the one part we never cut.
Has anyone complained?
Not about pay. To date, no partner has raised a complaint about payment or how work is shared, and our team in Indonesia keeps that door open with regular check-ins.
Kasih Co-op is a verified member of the Fair Trade Federation. Read more on How We Work.
