Trade As One

This year, Trade as One is launching a new way for any organization to get involved: Fair Trade Corporate Gifts.  We’ve put together a program based on personal support, budget conscious offerings, convenience, and unique, memorable gifts, and it is our hope that loads of organizations jump on board.

One such organization is Skyline Locations, a Southern California company. Skyline Locations, under the direction of its Managing Partner – Sinclair Anderson, represents property owners that want to use their facilities for location filming (in a nutshell, if you watch TV, commercials, or movies, you’ve seen many of the properties they manage). They also design, build and manage studio facilities and sound stages for film and television production throughout the world.

You might wonder, what does that have to do with Trade as One? Well we met Sinclair a couple weeks ago in Southern California, and he immediately asked if he could give Trade as One gifts to his clients and employees as a way to help spread the word. He says, “We spend certain money anyway, and if we can do it in the right way, our ordinary spending will affect lives in an extraordinary way, it just makes all the sense in the world.”

In addition to giving Trade as One gifts this fall, he’s also put together a flash animation on the homepage of his site (check it out by clicking here), and prominently featured us there. They also plan on featuring Trade as One as a part of the regular messaging to customers through email marketing.

We’re proud to have friends and partners like Sinclair and Skyline Locations. Many thanks for all that they’re doing to spread the word.

If you’d like to learn more about our Corporate Gifts program, and how you can get involved, click here.

The Blue Bamboo Bowl with Lime Green Servers from Mai Vietnamese Handicrafts is beautiful! Other products from Mai, like the Red Bamboo Footed Bowl, the Bamboo Oval Coiled Tray with Three Bowls , and the Recycled Magazine Bowl, have always been favorites of Trade as One customers, so we were not surprised to see these flying off the shelf at a local event where they made their debut. At only $33 for the bowl and servers, we can imagine this will be a very popular Christmas present this year. Beautiful and useful!

The Chili Infused Olive Oil from Canaan Fair Trade is a new favorite around Trade as One! It is excellent as a dipper for a nice loaf of bread but you can use it your cooking to add a little heat. It is also a perfect hostess gift. Pair it with the Serving Slab from Green Sahara or a Dark Chocolate Bar from Divine and prepare to be the favorite party guest!

Tonita and her friend,  Julita just arrived in our warehouse today from Peru. I am already making a list of the little girls on my shopping list who might like Tonita and Julita for Christmas. We are really excited to offer a few more options for kids this year as our customers often ask about them.

The knitted dolls are made by Casa de la Mujer Artesana which opened in 1993 and aims to contribute to improving the quality and standard of living of women artisans.  Women are taught to knitting skills and techniques, and are given training in business management, organization and personal development.  Importantly also they assist the women in finding access to markets domestically and internationally, meaning that their work is economically sustainable.  Most of the women work from the southern highlands of Peru, in the Puno region which is well-known for its hand-knitted and hand-embroidered handicrafts.

With matching earrings and necklace, this beautiful bracelet includes hand-painted beads from Ana Art Group in India, a cooperative working with Handmade Expressions. Handmade Expressions started working with the Ana Art Group after receiving an email from a young girl named Sana living in Jama Masjid, Old Delhi, India. She explained that her family and members of the community make jewelry, but were being mistreated by their current employers. Seeing that Handmade Expressions sold jewelry similar to the jewelry her community makes, Sana found hope for future and fair employment. A wonderful story and a beautiful product, this collection has been one of the favorites amongst the Trade as One staff and volunteers.