This week has been a mad rush of preparations for the Lafetki party. We received the packages, printed out the stickers, and I (Lina) and Didi rolled up our sleeves to get packing. We’re both so nimble that you’d never guess they weren’t packed by young people with disabilities. Once we’ve packed the first 100, we’ll send the remaining packages to Iris in Varna along with instructions, and they’ll start training young people with special needs.
Today we discussed financial models, calculated costs and agreed on how to split the revenue. Our production costs for one Lafetki pack currently stand at €2 for printing, €0.30 for the recyclable packaging, €0.30 for the sticker, and at least another €0.40 for courier fees, wastage and the like. This is without factoring in labour costs. With a retail price of €8 per pack, we decided to split the remaining €5 equally – €2.50 for Iris for therapy and project work, and €2.50 to fund the foundation’s activities. In the long term, the idea is to reduce the price of Lafetki by at least 30% by starting to print them in-house. Our aim is for Lafetski to reach many people and become something that improves your quality of life, like a pleasant uber ride or a good bottle of wine, and for that value, it isn’t expensive.
Because they’re not just napkins.
They are our sustainable solution to loneliness and the widespread social atrophy, because we are all, to some extent, screen addicts. Lafetki are our vision for Bulgaria’s first ever social product to reach sales in major supermarket chains, petrol stations, restaurants, bars – in other words, to be sold where people buy. Not just at seasonal markets for Christmas and Easter.
We want Lafetki to be our experiment in hiring and training people with special needs in a sustainable way. Once we understand this, we’ll be able to consult other businesses on how to do it.
Thank you for helping us do this. We know we’ll hit a few bumps along the way, but learning from your mistakes is often the quickest and most effective way. Let us know when we’re wrong, let us know when we’re on the right track, and keep being part of this dream 🙏