Who are our HANDMADE to market members & mentors
Meet the members
The members featured below represent just a small part of our vibrant global community of over 60 artisan entrepreneurs.
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Founder
Eat Radiantly’s mission is to inspire and empower Ghanaian women to reach their full creative potential using traditional pottery techniques.
Eat Radiantly is a handmade ceramics/pottery artisan company, that produces African inspired serve-ware and cookware pieces, using traditional sustainable Ghanaian pottery techniques with a modern twist.
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Founder
Prosperity from The Mother's house presents handcrafted Terracotta, Blue Pottery products, Mata ni Pachedi Paintings and Lippan art from the villages of India. We aspire to bridge the gap between traditional artisans & craft lovers, to cover the distance between remote villages of India and international craft destinations, to cross the divide between aesthetic products and pocket-friendliness and to find a blanace between a rich design heritage and modern-day needs. So far, Prosperity has been able to bring you fine heritage pottery, Textile Art and Mud and Mirror Work from 7 different regions in the State of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat.
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Founder/CEO
We improve the environment and empower communities through craft skills training.
MitiMeth was established to address the negative environmental and social impacts resulting from waste by creating new sustainable materials derived from invasive aquatic weeds and agricultural residues.
Rural communities in Nigeria have been affected by the infestation of water hyacinth infestation for decades. Our creative Founder, had an idea to transform this environmental menace into beneficial use. She befriended Artisans in the Sabo and Ojurin, Bodija communities of Ibadan who had knowledge weaving with doum palm and rattan. She worked closely with the Artisans to produce table tidiers and storage baskets: two fitting products to make from a tangled weed!
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Creative social enterprise. Hand embroidered & hand sewn products. Empowering women. Sustainable & upcyclable. Products & gifts for all.
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Founded in 1996 and registered with the Nepal government under ‘small & cottage industries’, Rochak Hand knit Craft is a dedicated organization that has been providing high-quality hand knitted goods made from natural fibers for over 25 years.
Led by proprietor Mrs. Rukmani Devi Shrestha and her husband Rajendra Man Shrestha, the company has a talented team of experienced women artisans who craft unique and beautiful hand-made products with a distinct feel compared to their industrial counterparts.
With a mission to accelerate the world towards a sustainable ecosystem, Rochak Hand Knit Craft is committed to providing quality hand-knitted and crocheted products that are truly one-of-a-kind.
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Ghana Glass is a sustainable glassware brand with each item crafted with care and creativity in Krobo Odumasi, Ghana. The collective is a dynamic team who fuse traditional glassblowing techniques with modern eco-conscious practices, all while providing opportunities for local artisans to refine their craft and support the preservation of cultural heritage.
Ghana Glass specialises in one-of-a-kind recycled glass pieces that are handmade using recycled glass. Each item, from drinking glasses to decorative vases, tells a unique story of resourcefulness, beauty, and sustainability. The collection celebrates the art of craftsmanship, combining vibrant coloUrs, intricate designs, and an emphasis on environmental responsibility.
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Namugongo Good Samaritan Organization (NGSO) is dedicated to empowering single mothers, teenage mothers, and widows in Uganda by providing hands-on skills and entrepreneurship training to produce high-quality, export-ready handcrafts. We strive to create employment opportunities and increase income for these women, enabling them to contribute positively to their communities and the country’s economy. Through our commitment to integrity, honesty, and transparency, we aim to reduce poverty, illiteracy, and health ignorance while embracing cultural heritage and protecting the environment.
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FAIR WEAVE is a social enterprise offering artisan-made textiles for home décor and wearable pieces while preserving traditional craftsmanship and practicing ethical manufacturing.
Our throw blankets, cushions, rugs, towels, scarves, and clothing are handcrafted with 100% natural and eco-friendly materials to create soft and comfortable textures. The beauty of natural landscapes inspires the creations to bring neutral and earthy colors to a feel-good home and your wardrobes.
Meet Some of our mentors
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Based in New York City - Social Entrepreneur / Social Impact / Design / Buyer Relations
Creative Marketing Consultant with 10+ yrs of experience specializing in mission artisan and brand development, handmade design, market sourcing, brand launch and merchandising.
Dondrill is a former Senior Producer and Marketing Consultant for NYNOW and American Handcrafted. She also has experience with global trend sourcing, senior content producer, podcast host, social impact and inclusion mission partner, buyer relations and sustainable design review committee.
Dondrill is also the Founder of Ahmesa,where the art of gathering by hand at home is artisan food, table décor, textiles and cooking beautifully inspires journeys.
Website: https://www.ahmesa.com/
Contact: dondrill.glover@gmail.com
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Based in Austria – Philanthropy / Community Development / Social Impact
Alina Serban has 8 years of experience at ERSTE Foundation, focusing on community development and social entrepreneurship across Central and Eastern Europe. In 2018, she founded co/rizom Verein, which she continues to lead. Her work centers on co-design, the commons, and participatory development to drive social and environmental change.
co/rizom Verein partners with artisan communities in Europe and beyond, offering incubation and capacity-building programs that preserve traditional crafts. They facilitate collaboration between artisans, designers, and experts—providing access to creative and market knowledge, production technologies, business tools, and international exposure.
Website: Homepage - Co/rizom
Contact: alina@corizom.org
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Based in France – Artisan Sourcing / Buyer Relations / Ethical Trade
Annie O. Waterman is the founder of AOW Handmade has spent the past 16 years traveling the globe, working to build relationships between artisan suppliers and retailers.
Annie lives a life in motion, continuously traveling to far-flung destinations to connect with new makers on the ground to discover unique handmade sources. Annie aims to bring buyers fresh, soulful, and competitive goods that are often difficult to track down.
Website: https://www.aowhandmade.com/
Contact: annie@aowhandmade.com
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Based in Washington DC - Training Director / Entrepreneur / International Development Expert
Lauren Barkume is the Training Director at HANDMADE to MARKET. Since joining in 2006, Lauren is an expert in international development, artisan programs and training. Lauren spent nearly 9 years based in South Africa working directly with entrepreneurs, artisans and small businesses in the region, developing community co-created programs, designing and running practical business skills workshops for small business owners, and working in collaboration with artisan communities across Southern Africa.
Lauren is also a photographer who has taken many of the images on this website. Lauren cares deeply about facilitating responsive, community driven development.
Contact: membership@creativelearning.org
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Based in New York City – Artisan Sourcing / Buyer Relations / Export Training
Nathalie Tancrede is a social entrepreneur and artisan advocate who enjoys working side by side with creatives to help them reach their highest potential.
Over the last decade, Nathalie used her expertise in capacity building, training, sales and marketing combined with her human resources management and operations skills to connect global brands such as Macy’s, West Elm, Anthropologie, and international designers to artisan communities around the world.
Nathalie collaborates with organizations like NYNOW, Creative Learning, Caribbean Export and more to lead tailored export marketing training to artisan enterprises seeking to reach global markets.
Contact: haitiepathways@gmail.com
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Based in New York City – Artisan Product Development & Design
Aviva Maya Shulem is a multidisciplinary designer and educator with over two decades of experience in luxury design and product development. A Parsons School of Design graduate, she built her career at companies including Donghia, Inc. and Swarovski LTD, designing furniture, lighting, and home accessories in collaboration with influential figures in art and design.
In 2014, she founded Aviva Maya Design, a consulting studio that partners with nonprofits and design studios on product development, brand strategy, and design management. She balances her studio work with teaching at Parsons and volunteering with IDSA’s disability department to promote inclusive, universal design. Her design philosophy celebrates artisanal craftsmanship while embracing digital fabrication and materials innovation, with research interests in human-centered design, biomaterials, and social responsibility.
Website: Aviva Maya Shulem Design
Contact: amshulem@gmail.com