Strowberry Code

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of a charitable organization. We started last year and we donate to places in the Balkans, particularly Albania.

What challenge were you trying to address with Strowberry Code?

Essentially, we wanted to raise money through a website, so we asked Strowberry Code to build it for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built our website and worked on everything from code to design. I wanted the website to be interactive, so they implemented some social networking features, like a mini chat room where donors could communicate with each other. They also helped set up the payment channels and made sure that the money was going to the correct bank account.

The site went live in December, but I’ve been in constant communication with them and they still do ongoing work whenever I need to make any changes. When the website was launched, it was actually too complex and when I realized we weren’t utilizing all the features, they were able to remove some of them. The website is rather simple now, but it’s an ongoing process.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked primarily with one of their developers; he’s the one I go to when I need something. I also spoke to the owner a few times. 

How did you come to work with Strowberry Code?

They were referred to me by a friend. They were located in Albania and they had experience with building a website, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in November 2019, and it’s still ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The website is exactly how I need it to be, so I’m pretty happy with it. The users don’t have issues with it — when they go to the website to make donations, it’s straightforward and easy. We’ve been able to raise a lot of money through the website and we wouldn’t have been able to do that without their work. In terms of the interface, it’s really interactive and snazzy, and had all the functions that I asked for.

How did Strowberry Code perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is really good — whenever I need them, I simply reach out to them through email or WhatsApp and they respond immediately. They’ve really come through for us. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We went through a few methods of building the website and he explained a lot of things that I didn't know, which was really good because I wouldn't have known how to go about it otherwise. 

When it comes to the development process, they tell me what’s doable and what isn’t, while also trying to understand what I'm trying to say. They take care of the whole process and consistently deliver what I ask for. They’re really professional, too. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t really ask for more, honestly. What I've asked of them, they've been able to deliver.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to communicate with them every step of the way.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We actually have two affiliated entities - an NGO working for the sustainable development of rural Northern Albania, and an associated small business to function as an umbrella for small rural producers working in tourism and/or agriculture.

For what projects/services did your company hire Strowberry Code?

Strowberry first did a major redesign of our tourism website: JourneytoValbona.com. Lately they have added a major new interactive section to the NGO's website, toka-albania.org. In the upcoming months we will again redesign JtoV.com, to include a greater region and more activism messages.

What were your goals for this project?

The old JtoV website had started as an informal wordpress blog, and grown over 10 years to the major tourism information site for Northern Albania - it was a MESS. Strowberry adapted the whole site to be much cleaner, professional, functional, and to encompass representing many different businesses. For the NGO site, the quarantine situation drove us to convert a conventional workshop training into a bi-lingual online presentation of a large body of information regarding sustainable tourism and agriculture, with a q&a, responsive platform.

How did you select this vendor?

Strowberry was recommended by a respected tourism agency we had worked with for some years, so we trusted the professional recommendation. In addition, the founder is actually from this region, so he also has invaluable local understanding.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

I actually don't want to go into painful detail about designing a website - but I can say that Strowberry was happy to work around all of our disorganization, and inability to stick to deadlines.

What was the team composition?

We always dealt directly with Emmanual Malaj, and didn't know - or need to know - who else he may have been involving.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The JourneytoValbona re-design has completely changed and improved the function of our tourism activities - allowing us to generate income for the first time ever - until this, we gave the information as a free service, because it was needed, but as the demand grew it became unsustainable.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Everything was managed via direct and personal contact and it was wonderful.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most remarkable thing about Strowberry is their passion for doing good work, even to the length of putting the quality of the work before their own interest or profit. When you ask Strowberry to do something unreasonable, or extra, they seem to actually enjoy the challenge, rather than quite reasonably telling you that 'we never talked about that before' and cheerfully get on with it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I honestly can't think of anything.