This week, we’re traveling to Craft Link in Hà Nội, Vietnam for our final Women’s History Month blog of 2024. The Craft Link organization is special to us at Fair Trade Winds, since we had the pleasure of visiting their workshop last fall! Our own Paul, Ben, and Sarah were amazed at the artistry and how the social enterprise is organized, and got to see products being made that we now have for sale in our shops. We had a conversation with Lan, the operations manager, to find out how they #InspireInclusion. When did Craft Link begin, and how has it grown? Craft Link is a Vietnamese not-for-pro ..read more

This week, our Women’s History Month series continues with a spotlight on the southern hemisphere! Alicia Wallace is the co-founder of KAZI Goods, a community of skilled weavers in rural Africa. They create woven goods and wall statement pieces that are on-trend and conversational, created from natural fibers. KAZI’s focus is to provide artisans with long-lasting, dignified employment. By investing in artisans, you are strengthening families and the communities where they live. When did you begin your company, and what inspired you to get your start? How has it grown since the ..read more

Every March, we commemorate Women’s History Month by featuring women who lead the way in the fair trade world. Our blog series is celebrating its sixth year! There are so many stories to share. This year’s theme is #InspireInclusion. Together, we can create a more inclusive world for women. Our first interview is with Nancy Dunitz, the founder and owner of Dunitz & Company. Nancy is smiling with Alisa, who is the head beader. She organizes and trains the other women jewelry makers. When did you begin your company, and what inspired you to get your start? How has it grown since then? It ..read more

Our final Women’s History Month feature (for this year!) spotlights Women of the Cloud Forest, co-founded by Amy Kofmehl-Sobkowiak. They have partnered with artisan workshops in Central and South America since 2001 to create products that will appeal to a wide audience. The Sobkowiaks visit the artisans twice a year so their relationships have a strong foundation! They provide English classes, micro loans, and workshop grants to support capacity building. What inspired the start of Women of the Cloud Forest and what country/countries do you work in? My husband and I are cheap backpack travele ..read more

We still have so much to celebrate for Women’s History Month! This week, we are excited to feature a changemaker who has been traveling along this journey with us since we first began Fair Trade Winds in 2007. Ruchi Agrawal founded Matr Boomie along with her husband, Manish Gupta. In India, their native country, they saw workers being exploited, being paid unfairly, and working in poor conditions. Materials were being wasted. Together, they set out to change this cycle of poverty, source products responsibly, and create a brighter future in India for generations to come. What inspired the sta ..read more

As is our tradition every March, we celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day with stories and interviews featuring women in the fair trade world. This series is in its fifth year! We recognize women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements and share interviews with women in the fair trade world. Their impact is felt everyday. This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity, and the role that the digital age has played a role in making equal opportunities fair, inclusive, and valued. Our first interview is with Jessica Ray, the Executive Director of GOEX, an appa ..read more

Fair trade uplifts, restores, and connects. It’s love in action! How about some good news? Our partners have been working on projects in the past year to promote artisans’ work  around the world. Fair traders maintain long term-relationships built on love, mutual respect, and hope for the future. Here’s three inspiring stories that show how your dollars are at work. Little by little, a little becomes a lot! From our friends at WorldFinds: WorldFinds exists to provide sustainable work and fair wages to create a lasting impact in artisan communities. The upcycled kantha jewelry and accesso ..read more

For our final feature this Women’s History Month, we are excited to introduce Tekia Thompson, the Community Outreach and Sales Manager for Global Mamas. Tekia is also the founder of @black_and_fair on Instagram, a space for her to share and help create a fair world for people of color. She also  hosts conversations about diversity for white people especially to participate in. Her voice is one of many who call out the lack of diversity and the representation of black people and black voices in the fair trade community. The Fair Trade Federation, of which we are members, has formed ..read more

Recognizing women for their achievements is one way that we celebrate Women’s History Month, but it’s also a call to action to expedite the fight for women’s equality. Joan Shifrin and Catherine Shimony, co-founders of Global Goods Partners (GGP), have answered this call by promoting the work of women in more than 20 countries for 17 years. GGP is a nonprofit social enterprise committed to providing sustainable jobs for women, which has been widely proven to be the key to community development and family well-being. In partnership with women-led, community-based organizations, GGP taps into t ..read more

Our Women’s History Month celebration continues by featuring women artisans in South Africa and Amy Stretmater, the founder of Koru Street. “Koru” is the Maori name given to the unfurling fern frond, symbolizing new life. She launched Koru Street over ten years ago, to bring amazing products made by women to the U.S. marketplace. We recently added the sustainable Growing Paper cards to our collection at Fair Trade Winds and they have quickly become a favorite! We love the story of how Amy got her start and her advice for other women to pursue their dreams. Read more in our interview. Amy (i ..read more