Pittards, a major supplier of leather to the sporting goods industry, has expanded its operations in Ethiopia by adding a new shoe factory to its existing tannery and glove-making facilities. The new facility employs 70 people to hand-stitch shoes for an interesting footwear brand, Soul of Africa. Founded in 2003 by Lance Clark, a sixth-generation member of the family that founded Clarks, Soul of Africa seeks to alleviate unemployment in different parts of Africa by providing employment in shoe-making and by teaching local people new skills. It currently makes products in Tunisia and South Africa as well as in Ethiopia. The opening of the new shoe factory takes Pittards' total workforce in Ethiopia to 1,500 people. A share of profits goes to education and arts projects across the continent.
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