Our Partners

Kenya, East Africa

Beautiful soapstone found near the village of Kisii in the Tabaka 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