New Online Social Venture The PachaMama Project

Aug. 14, 2012 - PRLog -- The PachaMama Project has launched this week. The PachaMama Project is a new Australian-based online social venture with the aim of assisting artisans in developing countries gain sustainable incomes by providing beautiful handmade items for sale.

The PachaMama Project is the brainchild of Australian-based husband and wife team Natasha and Antoine, founded in July 2012 after their year-long visit to South America, working on the ground with communities there. PachaMama is the Quechuan word for Mother Earth.  

"We met some amazing people living in poverty, who are trying to make ends meet for their family by producing and selling beautiful traditional handmade products. Weaving in particular provides livelihoods for many families and communities. We wanted to do something to share a small piece of that experience through the beauty and wonder of traditional and natural handmade products," said Natasha.

"The name was a perfect reflection of our ethos, who we are and where we both come from - Protecting the earth its peoples and its cultures through art, handicraft and travel."

The PachaMama Project has adopted an integrated approach to ethical sourcing, which is as much about social and environmental sustainability as it is economical sustainability. Their objective is to work with small cooperatives and associations that provide opportunities for talented artisan to expose their products to the world and assist them in providing a sustainable income for themselves, their families and their communities.  

The producers receive a just wage. In most cases the artisans themselves set the prices for their products based on fair market prices. Their products are individually handmade, using traditional techniques. And their products are organic and natural by default.

"We wholly support the principles of Fair Trade and other ethical sourcing certifications, but we also recognise that not all small producers in developing countries have access to the funds of networks necessary to gain certification for their products," states Natasha.

"All of our products have been sourced through ethical means either through our partnerships with cooperatives or with our partner wholesalers that work directly with artisans under fair trade principles. We also work directly with suppliers from in-country cooperatives and associations that we have visited. Most producers and artisans are from very small, rural and often quite poor communities and cannot afford certification fees. Likewise, our partners run on small scale community-based operations, with the objective of helping their local communities."

The online store is a boutique collection of the products they offer. The products are individually handmade, using natural and organic fibres and materials. They also offer upcycled products from their Africa Collection. Because of this factor, products can take between days and months to make.

The PachaMama Project also has a strong sustainability focus. Not sourcing mass produced items made of synthetic materials is part of that. Both Antoine and Natasha come from sustainable development and environment backgrounds, and this is reflected in their ethos.

The website offers the customer the full ethical shopping experience. Each product and collection states where it comes from and who made it. And, as they say "By making ethical choices we can make a difference in peoples’ lives and lessen our impact on the environment."

Visit http://www.thepachamamaproject.com.au for more information and to see their full range.