The story behind Mayu is quite similar. I fell in love with the artisans and the whole experience and couldn’t get enough of the luxurious alpaca fiber that I was exposed to while living in the rural Andes. I really like Peace Corps related businesses and not-profit organizations. Just goes to show what an impact the Peace Corps has on both volunteers and host-country nationals.

For more on Mayu, find us on Twitter, and Facebook, and hear more stories from the field on our Blog!

“The Peace Corps completely changed everything in my life,” says Returned Peace Corps volunteer Anne Rimoin. “It changed who I was. It changed my perception of the world, and my perception of what I could do in the world.”

Peace Corps was the reason I started Mayu. I absolutely fell in love with all things Peru and Mayu has given me the opportunity to stay connected to the artisans (fabulous knitters) with whom I worked during my service.  A majority of my Peace Corps assignment was to help the knitters to understand both Western markets and Western customers.  Through Mayu, the artisans have been given the opportunity to earn fair wages and become more independent while doing what they both enjoy and excel in – knitting. There are many similar Peace Corps stories out there, which I love to hear…as cliche as it may sound, it really is a life changing experience.

Learn more about the Peace Corps and discover the origins of Mayu’s hand-knit alpaca accessories on our website.

For more on Mayu, find us on Twitter, and Facebook, and hear more stories from the field on our Blog!

Recently, Mayu was written up in Quintessential New Trier, a publication in the Chicago suburbs. I decided to share the article because it tells the story of Mayu and sheds some light into what goes on behind the scenes. And, the article does talk about my life. Yes, the Mayu founder — my inspiration, my goals, ME. I’m wearing Mayu’s melange alpaca hoodie, which has been a bit hit this winter season. We are really excited about this press! Thanks to Sherry Thomas at QNT.

Read the article HERE.

For more, join our e-news, find us on Twitter, and Facebook, and hear more stories from the field on our Blog!

As a result of my time in the Peace Corps, I met our talented artisans and made an entire community of Peruvian friends who welcomed me and took care of me for two years (read more about the history of Mayu here). Mayu, my host sister while in the Peace Corps, was only 2 years old when I met her. Needless to say, she is much older now and had almost forgotten who I was on my last trip to Peru! I recently wrote about the grown up Mayucita here. I’ve never, however, introduced the rest of Mayu’s family.  Check back because I will be introducing the rest of the Mayu family in following posts!

I absolutely love these pictures of Mayu’s father, Arturo and grandmother. I took this picture last August, while working on Mayu’s 2010 collection of hand-knit alpaca accessories. Arturo was always asking me questions about life in America and we spent many of nights chatting about life in both Peru and the US. Arturo recently became the mayor of a nearby village, Huasta, and I’m very excited for him. He definitely deserves it and I’m hoping he will do great things over there. *Take note of the yellow Buddha sitting on top of an empty can of condensed milk on the windowsill.*

For more, join our e-news, find us on Twitter, and Facebook, and hear more stories from the field on our Blog!

Kate Robertson is currently in Peru working on the next collection for Mayu, her alpaca knitwear business. It is a fair trade company run from Peru, her home base in Chicago and Thunderbird.

I’ve just returned from a July 28th independence day celebration which, not surprisingly, turned out to be an entire family affair and a full day’s event. As the story usually goes, I stuffed my face with Pachamanca, sipped on sweet wine and watched dozens of Huayno videos. If you are familiar with Peru, you might have realized that this is a pretty typical afternoon in the Andes Mountains. Pachamanca is a traditional meal cooked with hot rocks in a handmade oven underground. My version, the vegetarian one, involves copious amounts of potatoes, sweet potatoes, yuka and corn – I passed on the chicken and guinea pig. Sweet wine is a Peruvian specialty; it is tough to find a dry wine in this country! And, Huayno music is traditional, folkloric music of the Andes, which I happen to enjoy (a lot). I might be an anomaly of sorts due to my odd obsession with the music…

Needless to say, after two years, I’m finally back in Peru, my home away from home and I couldn’t be more excited. Upon graduation from university, I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a small community high in the Andes Mountains. During that time, I worked with a small group of talented knitters who I helped create a small business selling hand-knit sweaters, scarves, hats, and other accessories. We worked together to learn basic bookkeeping, marketing, and customer service, to name a few of the lessons learned. Because my experience in the Peace Corps was so positive (I LOVED almost every minute of it), I decided to continue supporting the Peruvian artisans once I returned to Chicago.

So here I am now, a T-Bird student and proud owner of Mayu (meaning river, in Quechua), a fair trade company that sells one-of-a-kind, hand-knit alpaca accessories that are knit by the women I met while in Peru. We use the highest quality, eco-friendly alpaca fiber and each item is knit with lots of love. Being a part of Mayu has given the artisans the opportunity to earn additional income and better provide for their families. As I visit Peru for the 3rd time since finishing the Peace Corps, I can’t help but think how much I adore this country and how eager I am to continue growing Mayu with the guidance of my professors and peers at Thunderbird.

For more on this project, read Mayu’s blog, become a fan on FB and follow them on Twitter.

Thanks, Thunderbird, for being a gracious host!!

Every week, I find my way to the caserio where my artesans live.  One of my small business projects involves an artesan association.  The artesans weave beautiful cloth that they use in their daily lives.  I walk about an hour to reach my artesans, who live in the rural part of El Faique.  Even with a small pueblo like El Faique, the townsfolk
tend to be the richer, better educated folks.  The farmers live on the
outskirts of town or further.  Rumor has it that the furthest caserio
from El Faique is a two-day walk or an 8-hour motorcycle ride.

The walk itself is rather beautiful.  I pass through the most
commercial part of town with the hustle and bustle of goods being
carried in and out of stores, with the sputtering of motorcycles
zipping along the paved road, with the townsfolks sitting on benches
outside, people watching.  I know a miniscule percentage of the town,
except somehow the little grade school children remember my name.
“Hola, Señorita Maddi!” follows me all the way through the end of the
paved road.  After I pass through El Faique proper, I enter into
various caserios that line the road — Pampa Alegre, Huando Bajo, San
Cristobal and on.  The dirt road is flanked by adobe houses and tin
roofs, hens and their little chicks running around and the occasional
swine rolling in the dust.  More often than not, people are sitting
outside, enjoying the day.  On the weekends, I’ll walk to my artesans
to spend time with them in their homes.  The artesans are women who
live in the rural parts of El Faique.  While my work in small business
takes place during our weekly meetings, I find myself wanting to know
more about their daily lives.

There was a period where my artesans weren’t meeting because of the
coffee harvest.  The farmers start early before sunrise, rubbing oil
on their palms and sliding the hands down the tree branches, loosening
the red and green coffee beans from the trees into their palms.  The
harvest lasts about three months long.  There is a large presence of
NGOs in this area that drives the schedule of the farmers.  This
particular NGO brings together the farmers to protect the interests of
coffee farmers in our region. After the farmers harvest the coffee,
the coffee is sold to the NGO, who in turn finds international markets
for the organic, fair trade coffee.  For my own knowledge, I am
interested in learning more on the process of coffee tree to coffee
sales in the States occur.

This particular Saturday, I made it to San Cristobal in search of one
the artesans.  She and her husband were in the midst of a plumbing
problem.  Since they live away from the city, the plumbing is rather
piecemeal.  The water runs dirty most of the time with its source from
the local ravine.  Eventually, we sat in her adobe house, scooping out
the fleshy parts of a pumpkin for a dessert.  In the kitchen, I
learned about her family.  Her husband, a coffee farmer, her daughter,
and her 12 year old grand daughter all live under one roof.  The
conversation ran the usual course — “where are you from?  are you
really american?  are you single?  do you have kids?  what is your
work?  what is your profession?”  After a few hours, I asked to use
the bathroom.  All of the women in the house exchanged glances at my
question, and then sent the grand daughter to lead me to the bathroom.
We walked out of the house and away from the other houses to the
meeting place for the coffee association.  Right next to the building,
we pried open a gate made of dried sugarcane husks where she
eventually led me to an outhouse.

That was when I understood the exchange of glances — bathrooms with
ceramic toilets, tiles and caulking, matching colors, lighting and
floor mats are luxurious.  Even in my current living situation, we are
better off than most of my town.  We have a toilet and indoor
plumbing.  Most of the folks go outside in the field.  The outhouse
that I ended up using was probably an effort by some NGO to help with
improving the lives of farmers.  I was surprised, though worse was
that I didn’t think about the cost of basic necessities.  Or rather, I
didn’t think that even “basic necessities” are relative.  Some of my
assumptions come from massive generalizations that are made about
poverty from university classes and then also from my own middle-class
American life.

Welcome back to our new series, Peace Corps Journals, which profiles Mayu’s friends who also served in Peru as Peace Corps volunteers. We are hearing again from Lindsey Carrrasco. This is Part 2 of her experience in the rural Peruvian Andes, in a community close to where Mayu’s artisans live. If you missed part 1, be sure to check it out to learn about the Peruvian Carnaval celebration. OK, lets hear about yummy Peruvian cheese. “Queso Fresco” from this region is well-known throughout Peru. Oh, how I miss “pan con queso”!

After graduating college my next journey took me to Peru with the Peace Corps.  I had never really lived on my own and didn’t technically have any REAL cooking abilities  (unless you count making macaroni and cheese or ordering pizza cooking).  When I arrived to Yanama, a small, rural village in the Andes Mountains I didn’t know what to expect.  There was another Peace Corps Volunteer named Brad living in Yanama and he worked with a family on improving their cheese business.  When he invited me to go with him to see how the cheese was made, I thought it would be interesting to see, little did I know that I would actually be making it!

When we arrived to the “puna” or mountaintop where his host family had their cheese factory, I was surprised to see that Pablo, Brad’s host Dad was waiting for us before he milked the cows.  Even though I had minimal cooking skills, I did know that cheese came from milk, I just didn’t think that I would be milking the cows!  That was an experience in itself.  First you have to wash the utters so that dirt doesn’t get into the milk and then you need to get the motion just right so that the milk flows freely.  It’s not necessarily a pulling up and down motion, you also have to squeeze slightly as you pull down.  I was able to milk the cow but not as quick and efficiently as Pablo could.  

After we finished milking the cow Pablo asked if I wanted to drink some of the fresh milk.  Now I remember a workshop during my Peace Corps training that discussed various medical and health issues volunteers should be aware of and one of them was drinking milk right from the cow.  It was supposed to be pasteurized or boiled first to avoid bacteria but I thought what’s one sip going to do?!  I tried it and it was gross!  I’m not a fan of warm milk.

The cheese making process is quite simple.  You boil milk, add salt and a rennet tablet (this helps the milk “gel”), strain the excess water and then place the cheese in chees presses.  The cheese has to sit and dry for a few days or even months, depending on how aged you like your cheese.  “Queso fresco” or fresh cheese is pretty tasty.

I have never made cheese since that day but I’m glad that I had the opportunity to learn how to do it.  It was an experience I’ll never forget.

Cheese Shop

Thank you for sharing, Lindsey. If you are excited about Peruvian food, don’t forget to check our blog for other posts on Peruvian delicacies as well as our favorite recipes. Also, follow us via RSS feed to hear about one more of Lindsey’s experience, find us on Twitter and become a Facebook Fan.

Happy Tuesday from Mayu!

Our next Guest Blogger is Megy Karydes. Megy is the founder of World Shoppe , a fair trade jewelry and women’s accessories importing business that works with artisans in South Africa. World Shoppe is a proud and active member of the Fair Trade Federation and Megy was also a founding board member of Chicago Fair Trade, working to promote fair trade in her hometown.

After being invited to visit South Africa by the South African Consulate, I knew my life would change. After working to support fair trade as an e-boutique for the past 6 years, this was my opportunity to work directly with artisans which was the initial goal when I launched World Shoppe (www.World-Shoppe.com) six years ago.

I was among 19 international delegates who were invited to visit the country in the hopes that we would meet artisans and form a working relationship by importing their handmade items to our respective countries. Only 5 were from the United States and each of us came to the trip with different backgrounds, experience and interests.

I’ve been involved in the fair trade movement for over a decade. I began volunteering at a fair trade shop near my home when I first learned what fair trade was all about and how it allowed women to have a voice and contribute to their family and communities. Since then, I launched by e-boutique to offer fashionable and affordable fair trade jewelry, gifts and home accessories to socially-conscious consumers. But one of my earliest goals was to work directly with artisans to make the most impact and that was one of the reasons the trip to South Africa was so important to me.

It was during this trip that I met Carol, an amazingly talented artist who employs 18 artisans in the Western Cape province. The group produces copper and brass jewelry featuring semi-precious gemstones such as hematite, onyx, jade, carnelian and tiger’s eye. As soon as I saw the pieces, I knew we would be working together. The pieces were nothing like I had seen in the United States. They were bold, high-quality and resembled jewelry I have seen in artsy galleries, shops I frequent when looking for unique gifts. And, more importantly, they were produced using fair trade principles.

Within a week of returning to the United States, I had already photographed the samples I had purchased and sent them to some retailer friends for their opinion. All of them loved the pieces. I quickly put together an order and became a wholesaler. I booked my first trade show, put together a wholesale price list and began sharing the news with retailers.

Retailers across the country are quickly responding to consumers seeking out more fair trade items by stocking more fair trade in their shops. It’s been particularly exciting and rewarding to me because I share my successes with my artisans. When we’re featured in a national magazine article, I send them a copy of the article. When I get a new retailer customer, I email them to let them know. When a customer shares a picture of her wearing one of their designs, I share it with them, too. It’s important to me that we remember the reason we support fair trade – it’s because of the people. Yes, we need to have a profitable and sustainable business in order to succeed and employ more artisans, but the fact of the matter is that what gets me up in the morning is knowing that what I’m doing every day is making a difference.

According to the World Bank, an estimated 2.7 billion people in the world exist on less than $2 a day. That’s unnecessary.   It is my hope that one day we can all live with dignity and respect for one another. I feel honored and privileged to be working with my artisan partners and am looking forward to working with more women in the coming months. I hope you’ll join me for the journey!

Sincerely,

Megy Karydes, Founder

World Shoppe www.World-Shoppe.com

www.Facebook.com/worldshoppe

www.twitter.com/worldshoppe

For more information on World Shoppe, head over to their site. They have beautiful products that help out wonderful global causes. Keep checking back for more updates on artisans, sustainability and fair-trade.

Follow us via Twitter@shopmayu, our blog or Facebook!

♥Mayu♥

Cooking quinoa:

The easiest way to prepare quinoa is to cook it like rice or pasta. Fill a large pot with water, and bring to a boil. Add the grain to the boiling water (serving suggestions are 1/4-1/3 cup dry per person), turn the heat to low, cover, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the water and allow the quinoa to cool. Fluff with a fork.

Here are some of our favorite ways to dress up quinoa:

Breakfast: Combine a cup of cooked quinoa with 1/2 cup of skim milk and 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, and microwave for 60 seconds. Great alternative to oatmeal (and “great alternative to oatmeal” rarely crosses our lips at Mayu!).

Side dish: In our kitchens, anything goes with quinoa. You can add roasted tomatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, etc. Balsamic vinegar also adds a nice kick to quinoa. Feel free to top your quinoa with shrimp, tofu or chicken. Honestly, it’s just a vehicle for condiments and toppings!

Dessert: Here is Kate’s all time favorite quinoa recipe. Her host family use to serve it with milk, very similar to rice pudding and tapioca! The quinoa soaks up the cinnamon, sugar and milk to make a super sweet (and savory!) treat. Try substituting almond milk and agave nectar for the milk and sugar to boost the nutritional stats.

Finally, if you are not already sold, check out quinoa’s nutritional info:

Serving Size: 1/4 cup (42 grams) dry

Calories: 160
Total Fat: 2.5 grams
Cholesterol: 0 grams
Sodium: 10 grams
Total Carbohydrate: 28 grams
Dietary Fiber: 6.5 grams
Protein: 6 grams
Iron: 15%  Daily Value

Bon appetit!

Just last week we got some awesome news from our friends Dave and Kevin of WAVES for Development. Kate, Dave and Kevin were in the same Peace Corps group in Peru, where they worked directly with communities, Fair Trade associations, and non-profit developers. In 2005, Kevin founded WAVES for Development with the purpose of creating life-enriching experiences in coastal communities through educational surf programs and encouraging surf volunteerism to engage travelers and transform their world view.

WAVES is releasing a documentary project entitled CAPTURE, which profiles the journey of Jeremy Koons, a ski photographer from Salt Lake City Utah as he travels to Lobitos to teach the Peruvian children how to use digital cameras and modern software to shoot and print their own photographs. The goal of the film is to spread awareness of the WAVES organization by documenting one volunteer’s experience as he interacts with the Peruvian children and culture. It is has been a life-changing experience for the 50+ people that have already volunteered for the WAVES program and is exactly what we strive to capture in this short documentary.

Surfers! Are you interested in volunteering?! WAVES is a awesome opportunity to volunteer (and surf!) in the small town of Lobitos, Peru and teach the local children sustainable skills for a better future. Lobitos is a somewhat secret gem for surfing and is growing more and more popular by the day. WAVES aims to teach the locals how to create income from the growing surf tourism industry there. Kate remembers visiting Lobitos and raves about the beauty of the surrounding area. Think about it!

We are so proud of our Peace Corps friends; it is very rewarding seeing others helping with development issues and empowering the people of Peru. The proof is in the pudding: people fall in love with Peru and it’s people!

Check out Mayu and other Peace Corps businesses to see how others are giving back. If you want to know more about Peru, Peace Corp inspired businesses or how you can get involved, follow us via Twitter@shopmayu, our blog or Facebook.

WAVES has setup a fundraising site here: http://kck.st/9LIb5j. Should you choose to donate, you will become a part of the film, receive updates on the production, a DVD of the film and authentic Peruvian gifts and WAVES gear.