When Village Markets of Africa was first beginning, founder Jacob Schmalzle started in the marketplaces of Nairobi, Kenya.  These craft marketplaces are host to endless treasures from all over Africa:

However, very few of the vendors selling these crafts actually produce anything themselves.  With the mission of Fair Trade to eliminate middle men and connect consumers directly to producers, the bounds of an exploitative market structure had to be broken.

After finding products of superior craftsmanship and materials, the vendors were paid not for the item, but to be introduced to their supplier.  Without fail, these suppliers were also middlemen and did not engage in any of the production for products that they bought and sold.  Often times, there were 5 and 6 middle men between the producer and the market.  As a rule, the more middlemen, the worse off the producer was treated on the bottom rung of that supply chain ladder.

Paying a market price directly to the producer translated into anywhere from 5 to 50 times more than they had been paid through the traditional exploitative market structure and Village Markets of Africa was born.  After sourcing these initial artisans, word traveled fast and we were inundated with producers who wanted direct payment of a fair price for their many different types of work. 

Village Markets of Africa organized these artists into cooperatives, providing management through the Lutheran Church in Kenya.  Artists are now able to receive the full benefits of their impressive work, providing basic necessities of life to their extended families, and they are even able to start investing in healthcare and education.  It’s incredible to see how the quality of life for those in poverty can be improved when they are treated fairly!  Fair Trade eliminates middlemen, lowering costs for you and raising profits for producers in a win-win scenario. 

Our Fair Trade mission to empower these artists to work their way out of poverty is only possible with YOUR support.  Please be generous and know that you are making a DIRECT impact on the lives of people in need.