Mira Fair Trade

Growing up in India, Meera always enjoyed shopping at places where she could buy directly from the producer - a personal interaction that she missed in the big shopping malls of the U.S. The artisans she met shared stories of their lives, and their skills fascinated her. Unfortunately, without the education or resources to help them, the artisans had no control over their products or wages and they were often paid only $1 a day for their work. Meera quickly realized that her purchasing power made a big difference in the artisans’ lives. It was an easy decision for Meera to help the artisans earn fair wages by bringing these beautiful products to mainstream consumers throughout the U.S. She found support and gathered resources from the Fair Trade Federation, an association which sets standards for fair trade businesses and holds them accountable for their work and procedures based off of the Principles of Fair Trade. Meera also became involved with groups that work on community projects, such as building schools, digging wells, and working on irrigation and water projects. Thanks to these efforts, some dying arts and crafts were preserved. Meera annually tours rural areas in India where these artisans live and work, and meets the community organizers and the non-profit organizations that produce her inventory. Meera works directly at the grass roots levels to design beautiful, ethnic products suitable for the western world.