Kalamata Wood & Olive is a small family workshop making olive-wood spoons and serving boards for independent shops. Owner Giorgos Papadakis took the First Order Terms pledge because new stockists often wanted to test a modest assortment but were asked to pay before the goods had even reached their shelves. The workshop now offers net-30 terms on a first order to qualifying independent retailers, with the due date and payment instructions stated plainly on the invoice. In the first six months, it used those terms for 8 new shops; 7 paid within the agreed window and 5 placed a second order. Giorgos says the policy made it easier for a young shop in Patras to try a small display without tying up all its opening cash. He still checks that the order size is manageable for the workshop, but no longer treats a first-time buyer as an unknown risk by default. He hopes to add four more independent stockists next year.
