In the Andean mountains of Peru, in a tiny village of 50 families, fine gourd carving has been practiced for generations. Pablo, a master carver, recalls his grandfather telling how it all started. "Around 200 years ago, people from Huancayo made regular trips to the jungle to trade for rice, corn, beans and other goods. They met there with people from many places including gourd carvers from Ayacucho." That's how they learned the carving techniques and brought them back to their village while creating a style of their own. Historically, Andean people used gourds to store food and to this day they are used for storing salt and spices or drinking chicha and mate. Story telling or illustrative gourd carving in Peru has a long history. Carvers served their communities by recording Andean celebrations, oral traditions, rituals, myths, and weddings. Archaeologists in Peru recently discovered a deity figure on a gourd carved over 4,000 years ago. To us, Fair trade means caring about people and the planet before profits, and we hope to be an example of a more sustainable way of doing business. We're not alone. Alongside us are many other fair trade businesses helping to bring positive change to millions of artisans and farmers in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and around the world. We believe in a world where everyone has the opportunity to prosper and live with dignity. Thanks to caring world citizens like you, the far-reaching Fair Trade movement is growing rapidly! As consumers and businesses in developed countries, we all can make a difference and help reduce the inequality in the world just by shifting part of our spending into socially responsible and fairly traded products. Thank you for learning about and supporting fair trade!
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