July 2024 - Disability Pride Month

One of the founding principles of fair trade is the commitment to non-discrimination, and that includes disabled folks. There are many fair trade organizations around the world that accommodate folks with various disabilities so they too can earn a living wage. Many fair trade artisans are able to work from home, which is great for folks who have health issues or disabilities that make it more difficult for them to commute to work–especially in areas where walking or biking are the only reliable modes of transportation.

Artisans and farmers of varying abilities produce so many amazing handicrafts, but poor infrastructure and lack of access to care and marketplaces keep them from earning living wages. It’s important for markets to be accessible to all artisans and farmers so that they too can seek community and have the resources they need. Vendors like SERRV, Gabi’s Grounds, and Malia Designs help disabled artisans work towards financial stability while also helping them meet their other needs.

We’re so grateful to be able to sell items in the store that were made by and support disabled artisans and farmers from around the world! Click here to shop our collection of items that were made by and support disabled artisans.

If you’ve ever perused our tea and candy section, you might’ve come across these spice and seasoning mixes from South Africa, sourced by SERRV! The bottle decor that adds a little more South Africa to every bottle is made by disabled artisans. Employing these artisans fights against the ongoing unemployment gap in South Africa and helps people part of a marginalized group earn a living wage. We also carry ceramics from Bat Trang, Vietnam that are made by disabled artisans who also work with SERRV! Click here to shop more from these artisans.

Gabi’s Grounds is a coffee brand native to the Triangle area that employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)--a group of people that are regularly denied employment despite being able and willing to work. Gabi and her mother work towards normalizing folks with IDDs being part of the workforce through their coffee and through Gabi’s Pals, which is their packaging and shipping organization that also employs people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities! Click here to shop our collection of coffee from Gabi's Grounds.

Malia Designs

The bags from Malia designs are made by women in Cambodia who are at a higher risk of human trafficking due to living in remote areas and because of the travel that comes with subsistence farming. They also employ disabled artisans! All the bags created with cotton canvas are made by an artisan group made up of people who are polio survivors or landmine survivors. Bags made from recycled feed bags are made by another artisan group mainly composed of deaf folks! Click here to shop our Malia Designs collection.