2022 was a whirlwind year for me (I’m sure many of you can relate). I always find it’s helpful to have a look back at what happened—good and bad—to better plan for the future.On a personal level I was distracted more in 2022 than ever before; I had my first baby in April and the uncertainty of the world economy really wore on me the second half of the year. We have a lot of safety nets as citizens in the US, I’ve never worried about going hungry even if our business should completely fail, but our partners in Indonesia, India, Guatemala, Peru, Colombia, and the Philippines often can’t rely on their governments taking care of their basic needs if...
As we finish up our holiday shopping please keep our makers in mind and understand the real difference you've made in their lives when you've chosen to gift thoughtfully with Fair Trade items.With our phones in our hands almost all the time, sometimes we can still seem more disconnected than ever. It’s our hope that by connecting you with the maker who created the products you buy from us, you realize that you’re connected to her and her entire village because you’ve changed their lives with your support.There are real people behind everything you buy from us. You may never get the chance to meet her face to face, but I promise she thinks about you often and appreciates you...
Last month our team received a note from a now former affiliate saying she could no longer support us because our products are made by people of a different faith than her.I was stunned.At first I closed the message because I was hurt by it, but I reopened it and finished it a few minutes later because I wanted to know why she felt that way.She indicated that her own faith forbid her from supporting products made by people of a different belief system. She said the idea that our brand celebrates these “other holidays” alongside our makers is offensive to her. She said that we misrepresented own values and that they don’t align with anything she believes in.We are...
October is Fair Trade Month and we’d like to share a story that happened this year.Slowing retail sales. Supply chain issues. Lack of resources. Soaring shipping costs. Not enough employees. These are real issues facing every small business right now. And the sad truth is that even business with the best of intentions may not survive these hardships.Most companies make purchases on “terms” where the manufacturer sends the products and the company pays for it later. What happens when a company places an order and then can’t pay for it? Usually they go out of business and the manufacturer has to absorb that loss. But what happens when a small business with a good mission can’t pay for the items...
We’re giving our warmest welcome to fall fashions 🤎 But this year, you may have noticed a small shift in the new styles we’ve been able to bring you.Our mission to bring you sustainable styles remains the same as since we opened our virtual doors in 2014. This means utilizing many natural resources found in abundance near the towns of our makers but even in the faraway villages where our makers live, they’ve experienced supply chain issues just like we have here at home. This means that some of the designs we’ve been dreaming up for months (and longer), weren’t able to be crafted as expected. The solution? Let’s pivot to rely more on the reclaimed materials that already exist!Sometimes...
