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Gitzell FairTrade

St. Charles, MOBrand · Home goods

Accompanied only by a suitcase of souvenirs gifted from her nieces, Zellipah emigrated from Kenya to Kansas to pursue higher education. Experiencing culture shock on arrival, Zellipah struggled to cement her new identity by selling souvenirs from her home country as a way to communicate in her new surroundings. She saw an opportunity to support women weavers like her mother who supplemented smallholder farming by selling handcrafts. Thus Gitzell FairTrade was born. For over 15 years Gitzell FairTrade has invested in the communities it partners with, in the form of direct purchase orders. As a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation, Gitzell FairTrade works with several hundred women weavers in Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Senegal and Uganda to produce hand woven baskets for decor, shopping and storage. Zellipah learned how to weave baskets before learning to read and write, while selling produce with her mother at a local market in her hometown of Ngorano. Smallholder farmers like Zellipah's mother weave in the evening and during the off-season because the sale of woven goods contributes substantially to the economic viability of subsistence farming and helps women farmers remain in control of their farmland.