tHE ARTISANS
In their Hands
After 30 years of work, today the company is composed of over 500 men and women homeworkers and artisans that live in different regions of Guatemala. From the small towns around Lake Atitlan, communities of Solola, towns of Chimaltenango, surrounding areas of Sacatepéquez to the communities of the highlands of Chichicastenango, Quetzaltenango and Totonicapan.
Tomas and Rosa grew up making all kind of textile handicraft and learned good techniques for finish lines, color combination and designs. To maintain the quality of work that they are known for by their clients, they decided to start a training workshop with their artisans. As a result of this, the good quality is reflected in every hand-made piece.
Additionally, their work is flexible enough to accommodate many artisans’ supplementary income in agriculture. Guatemala is an agricultural country and TOPACA is aware that there are important harvest season throughout the year.
TOPACA is not a factory; the artisans do not have working hours nor a specific place to work. Working at the comfort of their home, the artisans can manage their own time. As a company, we know the importance to empower artisans from all communities and to recognize the hard work behind every item. Therefore, we work in a socially responsible atmosphere and under fair trade practices to improve the life quality of our artisans and homeworkers. We are committed to create long-term relationships with all of our artisans because we believe that creating strong working bonds build a sense of belonging; making this the difference between purchasing their handmade crafts and actually giving their work a real value.
The artisans also benefit from the trust and communication enabled by the multiple Mayan languages that the owners speak (Quiche, Kackquikel, Tzutujil, and Spanish). Trust is a really important element for all artisans and Tomas and Rosa inspire business confidence by sharing their story and what they have learned and achieved. Working directly with two indigenous entrepreneurs and in their native language has been the key for TOPACA. This is something else that makes TOPACA unique in the industry.
We feel proud to say that more than half of our homeworkers and artisans have been part of our team for over 20 years, receiving a fair payment and nothing makes us happier than to see them grow next to us.