For most fair traders, the most rewarding aspect of our work is the process of sourcing unique and exciting products and spending time with the talented artisans who make these wonderful crafts. Recently I returned to Guatemala to meet with several of our artisan cooperatives. I knew that the country had been hit hard over the last several years by hurricanes and devastating mud slides. 

I traveled with our long-time Guatemalan partners Cecilia, Carmen, and Gabriela, and  Ron Powers, a former Board Chair for an international development organization and long-time advocate of Fair Trade and other self-help approaches to combating poverty in the developing world.

The first cooperative we met with works out of a small hospital in Chimaltenango. The women [see them to right] hand-weave fabulous textiles and we had heard about their work.  We worked with them for most of a day to design a new embroidered tablecloth. We are already offering their hand-woven scarves. Their tools are quite basic, but their talent is anything but! This group had never before had an opportunity to export their crafts and this opportunity should substantially increase their incomes.

Another of the highlights of the trip was to meet with the Mayan cooperative in San Antonio Palopo which produces our amazing ceramic and stoneware crafts. The clay in the region is perfect to  create stoneware vases, mugs, and crosses [see to right]. The cooperative was started by an American "expat", Ken Edwards, who has traveled extensively to find the right clay to make fine stoneware. What he found next to Lake Atitlan [see picture to left] was more than he could ever dream of--wonderful clay and some of the most talented Mayan artisans in Guatemala who were eager to learn a new craft. Seven Mayan families now work with Ken in their cooperative enterprise. They hand paint each piece and each is unique. All the work is done with kilns and  wheels they have built in their small shop. They had some limited export experience selling their ceramic animals to another fair  trade organization, but we have substantially increased their sales internationally by offering a wide variety of their products  through this site and through our wholesale distribution network. Just in the last year, we have imported more than 3000 pieces from this cooperative.

When the trip was over, I felt rejuvenated and happy that we had started Fair Trade Quilts & Crafts 10 years ago. I feel very proud to work with these fabulous Guatemalan artisans, and those we support in Central Asia & India. I know that the work we provide them makes it possible for them to earn a living wage, and by expanding their market to the US, we make it possible for them to improve the lives of their families and strengthen their communities.  Thank you for making this a reality and Regards, Don Lam, FTQ&Cs

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We are pleased to share some of the people we meet and places we visit as we pursue wonderful new crafts for Fair Trade Quilts & Crafts!

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