A sustainable story you won't believe (or maybe you will)

When Emma and I began thinking about Artisanne 5 years ago, we didn’t set out to be ‘ethical’, ‘fair trade’ or ‘sustainable’ we just wanted to work in a way that felt ‘right’ to us and we wanted to help the talented women weavers in villages in Senegal.  This meant working directly with them - with no middlemen - developing a strong relationship with the women and creating a business with a purpose.

Initially this involved Emma spending many long days traveling down remote dirt tracks, sharing bowls of curdled milk (a local speciality!) with weavers as she explained our project.  The hours spent talking in the shade of a nîme tree involved much laughter and helped establish a close relationship as well as an understanding of the intricacies of their craft.

As Artisanne began to take off and we had more decisions to take, we continued to try to do what we felt was right – sourcing re-purposed plastic, using cotton bags instead of traditional packaging etc. 

Fast forward 5 years we are delighted to say that Artisanne’s approach has been recognised at the Blue Patch Global Impact Award where we were finalists.  The award recognises businesses that work with international communities, create ethical partnerships and with good supply chain management.  We could not be prouder to add this to our BAFTS – Fair Trade Network UK award.

5 years ago, I would not have believed this would be Artisanne’s story.  I know you do because you have supported us and encouraged us on our journey  – thank you once again.

x Elizabeth and Emma