Mexico

 

Development with Artisans in Mexico

In the early 1990’s I was visited by Mr. Truls Fagrell, a retired businessman who was living in Mexico City. He pulled out a map of Mexico and a handful of rice, and sprinkled the rice all over the map. "Each grain of rice," he said, "represents a family of artisans." He was convinced that this density of expertise could be harnessed to create products that appealed to the world, and thereby increase incomes for the artisans.

 

 

Background

I was compelled to this idea as I grew up in San Diego, I was deeply familiar with the plight of Mexican workers crossing the border to find work in the USA. It has always been my hope that by increasing incomes for artisans in rural Mexico, more sons and daughters could be raised in their homes in Mexico instead of working some strawberry field or restaurant in California.

Mexicans are hard-working, adaptable, innovative, people that take the most they can get from their surroundings. This is especially true of the artisans who live in rural communities throughout the country. Rural life demands long hours collecting materials to work with, and then production in the workshop itself.

Designing for New Markets

In Mexico. most artisan communities focus the sales and distribution of their products on the “local”: selling to the occasional tourist who passes through town, or locals shopping in the town market (or perhaps one town over, if they are expansion-minded). The reason for this is lack of knowledge about economies of scale, and the real global demand for “craft” type products. Also, Mexico's social and governmental systems do not support savings and investment in the future. Introducing artisans to the global market via Craft Fairs, Exhibitions, and Internet sales opens up the possibilities of learning more about global markets and also feeds them ideas for new and innovative ideas.

The Tenancingo Cultural Organization hired me to work with artisans from different industries, including basket making, reboza weaving, and woodworking. A wood production company in Oaxaca hired me to work with rug making artisans they contracted with, along with a local candle maker. I worked with them to develop new products to expand product offerings and enter into new markets in Mexico and abroad.

Solutions included:

  • Nesting baskets: increased profit by 250% by shipping 3 baskets in the space 1 basket.
  • Upscale traditional wood dining chair: using current manufacturing methods, developed new models of chairs inspried by traditional mexican dining chair.
  • Fabric for pillowcases, napkins, table runners: using traditional dying and weaving techniques

Diagram at top by Michael Kuehl.