As an international fair trade company, we’re concerned about all the lives that Covid-19 is impacting. Like we all know, the virus is changing every aspect of life and work, but fortunately, so far, our employees and artists in Peru and Costa Rica remain healthy and all our team members are working remotely. Alessandra and I are in Peru, we were here when the borders closed. For now we need to stay put and are able to oversee our aide efforts here. We are using this time to strategize and use our creativity to do what we can right now.

Raquel Sanabria García grew up admiring her parents’ ability to create beautiful gourd art. So, as she grew, so did her love and talent in creating gourd art.

Representing a new generation of gourd artists, Lizzet Hurtado continued her family’s art tradition when marrying Rodolfo few years ago, they started their own workshop. As an accomplished artist and business woman, she has experienced her dose of gender discrimination in our male-dominated society. She felt first hand how a woman must work harder than her male counterparts to leave a mark.

Behind every handcrafted gift, there is a story. These gifts offer windows into the lives of the talented artists who have poured their love and time into creating something truly unique. Their crafts offer intrinsic value that goes far beyond what our eyes can see, which is why we love our products so much. And we know you will, too!

Watch as artisans in Peru draw, clean, paint and carve gourd ornaments for Lucuma Designs.

Watch the process a gourd goes through to become an owl ornament.

Ana Maria (one of our carvers) is a warrior, resilent and dedicated to move her daughters forward despite the difficulties of leaving her town behind.

Watch the process a gourd goes through to become a santa ornament.

Alejandro and Victoria work together running a workshop that creates many of our popular gourd ornaments.

Mother's Day and Fair Trade Day are both this weekend so we wanted to take a minute and thank you for supporting 360° fair trade which in turn helps support mothers all over the world.

Every year since 2007, the gourd artists from Cochas, Huancayo, host a community Christmas celebration, bringing joy to the local children.

Pablo Hurtado, one of our gourd artists, learned the art of gourd carving at a young age from his parents.