Minka, Peru
If you're an indigenous person living high up in the Andes, your entire livelihood is most likely dependent on wool from your alpacas. However your remote location makes frequent trips to the city to do business impossible, which leaves you dependent on opportunistic middlemen, who are constantly bargaining down prices, paying as little a dollar a sweater.
Minka provides a trade network for the indigenous people, through it they can access the international market where they can get a better price and bypass the middlemen. Today Minka works with more than 9000 producers across rural Peru, whose salaries have increased almost six fold since Minka became involved in their work.
The government used to overlook the indigenous people, who were known as 'the invisible people'. Now they have a voice, their interests are represented in local affairs and they are finding innovative ways to revive their local economy.
Pedro Surco, a local activist from the Unocollo community said:
"We had nothing, but Fair Trade helped us to organize ourselves and find solutions to our problems together. We have developed a strong community group ... We are able to take control of our destiny."
Not only does People Tree's Minka knitwear help these Andean people, it also sustains around 1,000 endangered, coloured alpacas. The commercial market favors white wool, which is easier to dye, so the coloured alpaca until recently faced two fates: being illegally exported as pets, or being barbequed!
People Tree's fabulously soft and luxurious alpaca pieces are essentials for every winter wardrobe. By purchasing them you are supporting these indigenous people and keeping the coloured alpaca roaming the Sierra.
