I was attracted to pachacuti’s beautiful wares and wanted to let you know all about them.  As they boast “fair trade,” I was interested.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that they qualify their prominently placed, fair trade claim with: “Each time you purchase jewelry handcrafted in either India or Nepal from Pachacuti, a portion of our supplier’s profits is donated to the Tibetan Children’s Education Foundation. This nonprofit corporation is dedicated to supporting Tibetan schools and school children-in-exile from their homeland. The Bon Foundation and the Tibetan Women’s Crossing, Inc. are two other organizations, which also support Tibetan refugees and assist in preserving their culture.”

…which is all well and good, until i noticed that most of the artisans appear to reside in Mexico.  So, I just wanted to pass along that little detail…they feature many fine artisans from south of the border, who weave textiles, craft pottery and fashion jewelry for our use and enjoyment, but “To date, the term ‘fair trade’ applies to imported items only.” hmmm…imported only?  Further, “as a member of the Fair Trade Federation and the Sustainable Business Network of the Lehigh Valley,” They’re Pennsylvania based, so aren’t all of the items considered, “imported”?

I’m sure they’re ethical, and the Mexican-based artisans all benefit from the collaboaration, it’s just that I find this Website confusing…methinks, the site can represent itself better. find @ pachacuti.com