September 2024 - Hispanic Heritage Month

It’s Hispanic Heritage Month! Here at BCFT, we love to see all the beautiful handicrafts that come from the Spanish-speaking countries represented here in the store. From the colorful and brightly beaded crafts from Guatemala, to our cute good luck pigs from Chile, we do our best to show that Hispanic culture is just as diverse as any other. Learn more about how Spanish-speaking artisans and farmers engage with fair trade below!

Much of the world’s chocolate and coffee is grown in and sourced from Latin America. Unfortunately, child labor and slave labor are prevalent in the coffee and chocolate industries, which is why it’s so important that many farmers in Latin America follow fair trade practices. Companies like Equal Exchange, for example, work closely with farmers who follow fair trade standards to ensure that their needs are met while also respecting the rights of all people. We love that we get to carry brands like Cafe Femenino, which has been providing jobs for Peruvian women farmers since 2003 and is roasted locally via Joe Van Gogh!

Latin America is home to so many world-renowned crafts, from intricately woven baskets & textiles to stone-ground chocolate. Despite the range of cultural traditions and crafts, most countries in Central and South America are united by their shared language of Spanish. There are also around 560 indigenous languages spoken in Central and South America–in some cases, these indigenous languages are the only ones indigenous people in the region can speak. Language is one of the things small artisans and farmers struggle with the most, since it can be difficult to communicate with folks who don’t speak the same language as you do. However, the passion that artisans and farmers have for their work makes it easy for people like us to understand the significance of it, as well as to understand that paying folks a living wage for such significant work is necessary.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month means that we get to do what we can to bring cultural traditions and handicrafts from other countries to the Durham community. We hope that our selection of worry dolls, ceramics, jewelry, chocolates, and coffees make you want to explore other cultures even more! Learn more about some of our vendors who work with Hispanic artisans and farmers below. Click here to shop items from Spanish speaking countries!

Costello International

Costello International works with indigenous artisans from the Sierra Madre Mountains of Southern Mexico to help them earn a living wage and to also bring their folk art to the global market. Their partnership with over 200 artisans also serves as a public health endeavor, having partnered with DHL to acquire medical equipment for the Taxco Adolfo Prieto Hospital for the Poor, where artisan families receive treatment.

Andes Gifts

If you’ve ever visited our store during the holiday season, you’ve absolutely seen our wall of knitted gloves, animal scarves, and more–all from Andes Gifts! With an emphasis on honoring culturally significant crafting techniques, Andes Gifts works with indigenous Bolivian and Peruvian artisans to create high quality and ethically sourced wool products.

Lucuma

Lucuma works with over 300 Peruvian and Costa Rican artisans, over 80% of whom are women. Their goal is to empower artisans in their communities and their homes, paying them living wages and helping them set up 20+ family-run cooperatives. In the process, we get to bring traditional Peruvian and Costa Rican folk art to Durham!