Meet Our Makers—Colombia

Colombia Current Weather

Colombia is the only country in South America with coastlines on the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. One third of the country is made up of the Amazon Rainforest, with the rainforest covering about 40% of the total continent. Like Indonesia, its tropical climate is considered one of the few megadiverse locations in the world and is home to more bird, butterfly, and orchid species than any other country with palm trees towering close to 200ft high.

Oranges grow plentiful in this tropical region. You’ll find fresh squeezed juice for sale on nearly every corner and it’s included as an ingredient in many cultural staples. Salsa rosada is a favorite snack dip made from mayonnaise, ketchup, orange juice, and brandy or rum. The plentiful supply of used orange peels supply the upcycled materials used to create our best selling Made From Fruit jewelry styles.

Our first partnership in Colombia began in 2015, we now partner with 3 groups totaling 36 women makers. Women in Colombia face employment challenges due to the gender stereotypes ingrained in their culture. Our artisans here are a group of talented makers in a small town where women are rarely able to find steady work. It’s not uncommon for young adults to live with family until marriage because of the high cost of living but throughout the years, we’ve been thrilled to see the country as a whole taking steps to strengthen gender equality, reduce female unemployment, and implement a plan to end gender-based violence.

It’s no secret that Colombia is the home of the world’s best coffee, they’re the third largest exporter of coffee in the world (just behind Vietnam and India). It’s unique climate and geography results in a rich, yet mild flavor of brew. Our makers love to use these fragrant beans to craft jewelry.

Each seed is hand drilled, one-by-one, to create your favorite Made From Fruit styles. This is the real meaning of slow fashion. Our artisans take such pride in their craftsmanship, and it shows with the love and care that goes into each step in the making process.

All dyes are derived from fruits and vegetables, with different vegetables used depending on the desired color outcome. Some common vegetables used are beets, blueberries, eucalyptus, and onions.

Did you have a rock tumbler as a kid? We bet our mega tumbler is the biggest one you’ve ever seen! Each açaí berry seed is tumbled to a smooth finish and to remove any remaining bits of husk. The smooth white noise created by thousands of seeds tumbling at once is as relaxing as it is inspiring.

Slow fashion seeks to create the least amount of damaging environmental impact while creating fair wages for artisans. This is a movement that is growing in popularity rapidly, and this is thrilling news! As more shoppers are able to make educated decisions about the impact of their purchase, the slow fashion movement grows stronger and world is changed for good.

From humble beginnings to a mission bigger than any one of us individually, we share in our artisans’ pride with each and every piece of jewelry created.