Our Partners
Kenya, East Africa
Beautiful soapstone found near the village of Tabaka, in Kisii County`s green hills of Western Kenya, ranges in colour from deep gold to rich burgundy, pale pink to jet black, each piece having a unique combination of colours
Raw stones are excavated by hand in local quarries & carried to co-operative workshops. The stones are worked into manageable sizes before a kisu (small knife) is used to carve detailed work. Items are polished, hand-painted if required & sealed with beeswax. Intricate patterns are incised allowing the natural stone to show through
Skilled wood turners, jewellery-makers & basket-weavers create original high-quality Fair Trade gift ideas that are a delight to own
Items brought from us directly benefit the skilled craftspeople of Kisii & their families, especially in providing education & medical support
Zimbabwe, Southern Africa
The Shona people of Zimbabwe have been creating art for almost a thousand years and are particularly famous for their work in stone.
We offer many other items created by Shona artisans from recycled wood & metal.
Senegal, West Africa
Our Partners in the Artisan`s Village on the West Coast of Senegal call upon generations of experience to create beautiful handmade wooden carvings – from masks to animals, abstract to traditional
Master Drum-makers make hand-crafted traditional D`jembe Drums – those from Senegal being the favoured design of the professional drummer and hugely popular in schools in the UK
Fashionable beaded jewellery, traditional African wall-hangings & throws, colourful fashion, baskets & many more items are also sourced from Senegal & many items are made especially for our The Friendly Trading Company & can be found nowhere else outside Africa
The Friendly Trading Company provides a route for Artisans to offer their products outside their immediate locality & all items bought are re-ordered from the skilled craftspeople who created theme
As always, its the people who count the most and who we are privileged to work with
