About Us

Swahili Imports works directly with artisans across Africa
to reveal the brilliance of modern African design to the world.

Swahili Imports is a U.S. import and design company that promotes exchange between two networks.

Swahili Imports' African network includes individual artisans, export agents and micro-enterprises in the nations of Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique, Mali, Senegal, Sudan, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Uganda and Rwanda.

Swahili Imports' U.S. network includes private collectors and over 2000 retail stores, museums, educational institutions and catalog companies sourcing modern fairly traded African products at competitive price points.

 

Founded
Leslie Mittelberg founded Swahili Imports in June 1995 in Eugene, Oregon.


Locations
Swahili Imports business offices and order fulfillment services are located in Eugene, Oregon.
Swahili Imports wholesale catalog and ordering system are found here at swahiliwholesale.com.
Swahili Imports sells directly to Pacific Northwest shoppers through Swahili retail stores in Eugene, and Portland, Oregon.
Swahili Imports selected direct retail offerings are found at swahili-imports.com


Staff
Swahili Imports' U.S. operations are carried out by nine full-time employees, with four part-time employees providing assistance with order fulfillment and customer service.

Financial
Swahili Imports is a privately owned company. Revenue details are provided upon request.


Social and Environmental Responsibility
Swahili Imports believes in the potential for a sustainable network of trade between Africa and the United States. Since every transaction that occurs influences how African producers perceive American business, company operations center on responsible practices that promote growth and cultural affinity.

Swahili Imports is a member of the Fair Trade Federation, a group of like-minded companies and organizations that adhere to:

* providing fair payment to workers in developing nations
* educating artisans and workers to increase their potential for advancement
* developing products and processes that protect and conserve the natural environment
* promoting fair trade as the standard in commercial exchanges


Accountability
Swahili Imports is a small company whose orders provide many African artisans with a vital supplemental income. Even with a small staff, Swahili Imports maintains accountability with artisans by visiting groups in person at least once yearly. These important face-to-face sessions allow the company to:
* confirm that payments are being received and properly allocated to individual artisans
* discuss problems, implementation of new designs and strategies for future development
* conduct training sessions with export agents, team leaders and artisans to further streamline operations, increase production capacity and reduce errors
* emphasize Swahili Imports' ongoing commitment to each artisan's or group's success

Swahili Imports augments yearly visits in a variety of ways.
* Cooperative arrangements with development organizations like the Peace Corps, Aid to Artisans and the West African Trade Hub allow Swahili Imports to check in with working artisans year-round.
* Digital communication allows Swahili Imports to communicate important information in a timely fashion. All producers and group representatives are required to maintain access to email, fax and phone.
* Online ordering systems viewed and edited by U.S. staff and African producers significantly reduce errors and keep producers educated on the status of payments and shipment deadlines.
* Reporting successes, design ideas and upcoming visits by email and phone maintains a positive atmosphere that welcomes producer involvement


Sustainability
Swahili Imports works with producers across Africa who value their natural environment and employ sustainable methods of production.
* Artisans are required to abide by local and export regulations governing the legal harvest of hardwoods to ensure compliance with U.S. import standards and to uphold proper management of their local forest resources.
* Artisans are encouraged to utilize materials fully by converting scraps into salable products
* Artisans are encouraged to utilize recycled, reclaimed and highly renewable materials in product design, and to isolate new sources of low-cost materials.
* Artisans are advised to use production methods that increase productivity and minimize artisan discomfort


Artisan Advancement
Swahili Imports believes that hardworking African artisans, producers and export agents hold the key to their own personal success, and that the path to success requires a steady, committed pace. Swahili Imports extends each artisan's channel of trade from local markets to the global marketplace, all the while allowing artisans to work from the comfort of their own homes and communities. Secure in the knowledge that the fair payment they receive will not be reduced by traveling expenses, childcare costs and haggled prices, most artisans in the Swahili network promote their family's future by using earnings to put food on the table and pay educational expenses for their children.

Giving Back
Swahili Imports recognizes the merit of benevolence and currently donates a portion of profits to two transformational non-profits working directly in Africa:

The Makindu Children's Program, established by Winnie Barron in Brownsville, Oregon, cares for over 400 orphans in Makindu, Kenya, through a highly effective community placement program. Older women with no other way to earn an income are paid to take orphans into their home, and the program augments that care with daily meals, showers, health care and school lessons. Through enthusiastic community involvement, the Makindu Children's Program has enhanced the lives of all area residents by providing a hopeful future for the community's marginalized children.

Aid to Artisans (ATA) focuses on product development and design, training, linking artisans to the world market and creating sustainable non-government trade organizations. Staff members and consultants keep a watchful eye on market and pricing trends and share extensive experience dealing with large-scale U.S. and European buyers. Since many artisans have limited access to the outside world, a liason with knowledge of global demands often makes the difference between stunning handmade items people admire and functional handmade items customers buy and use.

During every online order, Swahili Imports customers are invited to choose which one of these non-profits should receive a $5 wholesale donation or a $1 retail donation. Since Swahili Imports initiated its Partners in African Prosperity program in late 2006, over $8000 have been directed to vital African non-profits.

Swahili Imports remains dedicated to providing a forum of positive exchange between African artisans and American consumers. With so many talented artisans already earning income from Swahili Imports orders, the company now faces the challenge to bring greater exposure to current artisans' work while further enriching the network with new faces and products.

Swahili Imports is dedicated to African artisans, as their skill, determination and sharing spirit form the backbone of the company's operations. Envisioning a day when the channel between Africa and America opens wide enough to bring prosperity to all African artisans and an appreciation for African craftsmanship to all Americans, Swahili Imports continues scouring Africa--from her back roads to her high rises--always on the lookout for more amazing handcrafted products.