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Fair Trade Producers
Here is a selection of Fair Trade producers from the developing world. They are listed over 4 pages, telling their unique stories with images and links to the products they make. Find out how your purchases with us helps them.
Remember that by buying our Fair Trade products, you are helping these producers towards economic empowerment and helping them build a better life for themselves, their families and their communities.
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Allpa, Peru.
Allpa was established in 1986 and is a private company owned by a development NGO. It was set up to market Fair Trade arts and crafts for producers across Peru, but now especially around Lima and the Cuzco area. They give advances, loans and design advice to their Fair Trade producers. There are about 700 of these, organised into approximately 100 groups and almost all are workshops run by extended families.
Allpa means 'earth' in Ayacuchan Quechua, reminding them that the objects which surround them and work with come from the earth, such as clay, wood, stone and metal. Allpa`s mission is to make the production of handicrafts a source of sustained employment for a major sector of the Peruvian population.
Arum Dalu, Bali, Indonesia.
Arum Dalu is a small-scale marketing organisation, set up by Tommy Fredrickson and Sarie, an Indonesian Fair Trade handicraft expert. They work closely with 25-30 small producer groups to help develop interesting and unique new products, but also to provide Fair Trade outlets for the goods. Arum Dalu has some local social involvement, including assisting in tsunami relief programmes.
Their policy is to work directly with the producers, produce good quality products, paying fair prices, support local handicraft traditions and to try to raise awareness about environmental issues connected to handicraft production. They are also concerned about young people moving away from their villages in search of work and to give them local working possibilities instead. A huge part of the population in Bali, Lombok & other eastern parts of Indonesia are involved in and dependent on handicraft production as their main source of income.
They have manage to build up a wide selection of producers over the years, covering many different kinds of handicrafts from several Indonesian islands, such as : Bali, Java. Lombok, Sulawesi, and Borneo (Kalimantan). However, these days, due to the increasing price of transportation they focus on the artisans in the Bali area.
They supply products such as textiles, batik, natural fibre products, woodcarving, musical instruments, jewellery, Bali ceramics, bags, accessories and clothing.
Our beautiful palm shopping bag with matching purse was made by Arum Dalu.
Asha Handicrafts Association, Mumbai, India.
Established in 1975 as a Fair Trade christian organisation to provide a marketing outlet to individual craftsman. In Sanskrit, Asha means “hope”.
India, which is one of the largest handcraft-producing countries in the world, offers an almost unlimited range of crafts and products. However, these beautiful items can be produced in conditions of abject poverty, with craft workers in bondage to moneylenders.
Asha gives marketing support and technical assistance to groups of small producers and craftsmen and women. By purchasing directly from the workers and giving generous advances, they increase income levels and help groups become self-sufficient.
A team of christian welfare workers are employed to help producers with business concerns and issues.
Asha welfare workers are stationed at different producer groups and co-operatives, sharing skills and extending medical help and education to the workers and their families. Technical training is also provided to increase efficiency and to encourage the growth and development of cottage industries.
Asha Handicrafts produce our beautiful metal jewellery box with elephant designs.
Aspiration International, India.
Established in 1993 and based in New Delhi, India with 14 employees, Aspiration International are a relatively small Fair Trade manufacturing and export organisation looking to promote the work and welfare of artisans and families all over India, including Jaipur and Sarangapur.
The aim is to help them develop cottage industries, improving economic and social welfare and providing fair wages, which hopefully will lead to them becoming independent artisans.
Aspiration specialise in manufacturing wood products, such as jewellery boxes and our best selling wood bangle with zebra pattern.
Gopalas, India.
Specialises in traditional embroidery, patchwork and other Indian textiles.
Gopalas was established as a platform for Indian artists and uneducated craftspeople who are in need of work.
Production of their textiles is particularly important to women, because it is not machinery or tool dependant and they are able to do much of the work in their homes, which allows them to plan their work around caring for children and household responsibilities.
It’s overall aim is to provide skills and training to people with no education and to promote Indian craftwork around the world.
Our recycled patchwork squares shoulder bag is handmade by Gopalas artisans.
