This month, we celebrate 17 years of Global Goods Partners and look forward to many more. What started in 2005 as a bold mission to impact women's lives, has grown to encompass over 155,000 artisans. We truly could not have reached these heights without the many people lifting up our mission along the way. Thank you for 17 incredible years! See below the story of our work & core of our mission.

Inspired by their travels and the beautifully hand-crafted products made by women around the globe, our founders Joan Shifrin and Catherine Shimony saw an opportunity to bring these unique and culturally rich crafts to the international market while producing sustainable jobs for women in impoverished areas.

GGP was founded in 2005 and has since partnered with over 128 artisan groups in 39 countries throughout Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Each artisan that creates the products in our assortment earns reliable and fair living wages while also gaining experience that adds value to all aspects of her life. Moreover, the empowerment of these women not only improves their own experience, but those of their families and communities. We have seen this self-reinforcing cycle of women supporting other women within each of our partnerships, this year especially, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reasons we focus on women are two-fold: Firstly, around the world, women disproportionately suffer from economic, environmental, political, and social hardships. At the same time, when women receive the tools to learn a craft, receive their own income, start and run a business of their own, they gain confidence, experience, and economic independence that is proven not only to uplift themselves but those around them. Supporting women supports everyone. 

As a fair-trade organization, GGP remains committed to improving conditions for the working poor, determine fair living wages, and emphasize responsible stewardship of the environment through the production process. By bridging the gap between craft businesses from some of our weakest economies and the global market for fair trade, GGP is able to promote the economic development of local communities, social justice, female empowerment, and global sustainability, all while providing the marketing and distribution channels necessary for our enterprises to reach global markets.

While it has been difficult to compete with established companies, retailers with superior budgets, and fast fashion brands as a fair-trade company, we have learned much in our 17 years and ultimately find that the returns we receive are far more gratifying compared to our competition.

We are grateful for the continued support of our partners and loyal customers. We cannot wait to see what the future holds. Happy 17 years to Global Goods Partners and here’s to the years to come!

The Afghan women artisans at Kandahar Treasure remain resilient and hopeful in the face of adversity. In the wake of the U.S. withdrawal and purported “peace” with the Taliban, violence across the nation continued in 2020 and 2021 as the U.S. increased air strikes and raids while the Taliban made territorial gains and sacked Kabul. Women in particular were shunned from society and stripped of their rights.

In October 2021, as we kept in close contact with our partners at Kandahar Treasure, they expressed their desire to return to work despite the complex political landscape. Kandahar Treasure is an entrepreneurship that employs artisan women, mostly widows of war, in the Kandahar area. Through the creation of ethically-made and beautifully embroidered pieces, this group of women maintain independence in an increasingly constricting environment. Being part of Kandahar Treasure also gives the women essential financial counseling.

We are proud to announce that, by November, the women of Kandahar Treasure reopened their doors and were able to continue working while their livelihoods and political freedom were called into question. In the words of artisan Homaira, “The Taliban can make all the rules they want, and it’s not like we were living without burqas even in the last 20 years, they will not be able to stop us from living!” Their courage inspired our team to take further action.

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2021 was one of our busiest years yet. We ended the year with more orders and impact than years past and we were able to give numerous grants to our artisan partners throughout the globe. These grants have been largely centered around COVID-19, funding food packages, healthcare insurance, and personal protective gear for over 200 women and their families. Just one month into 2022, we have already had an opportunity to gift a unique grant centered around a singular, non-COVID-19 related necessity: a drying machine.

Year after year, our top selling products are our tried and true felt flowers. Nuptse Craft is one of two artisan groups in Kathmandu, Nepal that create the many flowers across our assortment. In order for the 100% New Zealand sheep’s wool to bloom into stunning handmade felt flowers, the artisans must wet the wool with soap & water, then agitate the fibers to form a dense fabric.

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This dryer is not a run-of-the-mill tumble dryer; rather, it has 18 rows of trays that can be removed or added based on the size of the product that needs to be dried. The humidity and heat level can be adjusted to dry products to the core while keeping the color intact. This dryer is also environmentally friendly: It uses low electricity, does not emit any unnecessary heat, and does not pollute the air. 

This unique grant was made possible through donations from our supporters like you. Your purchases and donations fuel the growth and operations of our artisans, and make a world of difference in their lives. We pride ourselves on fortifying a community of strong women around the world, and the whole GGP team thanks you for your support that helps make that happen.

Time of Year

In order to stay competitive in the retail landscape and as a small business, we choose to take a percentage off our original retail price for a select few occasions during the year. This is by far our biggest week of the year, as we put our message out to the world, we know we need to stand out among the large retailers to ensure we make an impression.

Thank You

This is our chance to say thank you to you. At the very core, we believe in long-lasting and sustainable relationships, both with our partners and with our customer community.

Not a Discount for Our Partners

Room for More

As we sell through the product on our site, we're able to continue sending orders and giving work to our network of over 20,000 women artisan worldwide.

We have stocked up for this busy time of year so you can opt for gifts that bring lasting change, rather than products that perpetuate the cycle of over-consumption, poor working conditions and poverty in all corners of the world.

A gift from Global Goods Partners will be a mainstay in anyone's home, telling the story of its maker and the impact on her life.

COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns have continued to hinder the businesses of our partners in Cambodia and Nepal. We have provided another round of grants to our partners in Cambodia and Nepal to support them as they get back on their feet and strengthen their businesses.

During COVID-19 lockdowns, our artisans have been unable to focus on expanding their businesses as they have needed to prioritize the health and safety of their families. To partially relieve these pressures, GGP grants have provided crucial support to our partners through food packages for our artisans and their families.

GGP would like to thank you for your donations and support at this time, which have enabled us to provide the following packages:

$1,000 to GGP partners in Nepal, Nirjala Craft and Nuptse Craft. Travel to Nepal has been restricted because of increasing COVID cases, making it difficult for artisans to market their products to incoming travellers and tourists. The increase in COVID cases in Nepal and the new strains of COVID have led to severe decreases in sales for our artisans as less people are travelling outside and many cannot afford to buy nonessential products. On top of this, the political protests against the Nepalian government have led to violence that has made many people afraid to travel to stores and markets in Nepal. GGP funding aims to provide each artisan with one month’s worth of basic food for the artisan and her family.

$500 to Friends International, our partner in Cambodia. COVID-19 cases have increased in Cambodia as vaccine distribution has been slower and as the country combats the spread of the Delta variant. Cambodia is set to launch a lockdown to prohibit spreading as the Delta variant continues to sweep Thailand. As nonessential travel is being restricted, our partners in Cambodia have struggled to keep their businesses afloat and in turn to provide food for their families. GGP funding will be used to distribute two meals a day to our partner’s children and family members that are in the greatest need.

If you have any questions regarding the specifics of our grants, please feel free to contact plama@globalgoodspartners.org for more information.