Reflecting on Our First Year: Impact, Community, and Heritage

At CasaLatina, 2024 marked the beginning of our journey to create a lasting and positive impact for people and the planet, and we are excited to share our progress. From the very start, our mission has been clear: to be a sustainable and ethical business that creates positive impact for the artisans we work with, their communities and the environment.

During our first full year of operations, we encountered various challenges, however, our commitment to sustainability and ethical practices remained unchanged, driving us to push forward and stay true to our values.

We developed sustainability and impact indicators (KPIs) to help guide our mission and be transparent and accountable. These include both quantitative indicators but also qualitative measures like personal stories from our artisans. These KPIs show that we have delivered positive impact and change, but have also helped us identify areas where we can improve. We have achieved significant milestones, including:

We partnered with artisans to create transparent pricing and fair compensation and, we generated sustainable employment, including two permanent full-time roles for women in Bogotá, Colombia. 

We worked with many of our artisans to increase the use of renewable, recycled and recyclable raw materials and replaced non sustainable materials used in a few products, for sustainable alternatives. We’ve always used sustainable packaging and have recently transitioned to even more eco-friendly materials and durable packaging design.

We strengthened our relationships with artisans and helped them build capabilities, by facilitating loans, supporting them with raw material procurement, and guaranteeing fair and timely revenues.

We committed to regular sustainability reporting and involved all our artisans in the full design, development and feedback cycle.

We visited seven artisan communities in Colombia and Venezuela to gather first hand information on their craft, their production process and the collaboration with CasaLatina. We also actively gathered and acted on customer feedback, enhancing our products, packaging and customer service.

We showcased our artisans' work at two international trade shows—Maison & Objet Paris in January and September 2024—focusing on preserving cultural heritage and highlighting the craftsmanship behind durable products made to last. Our eco-friendly stand was designed to be re-purposed and re-used, using recycled and sustainable materials (e.g. eco friendly paint) and upcycled furniture, all thoughtfully designed to minimize waste. 

This year, and as we work towards our B-Corp certification, our goals will continue to extend beyond traditional business metrics, encompassing our vision of building a business that positively impacts the artisans we work with and their communities, the environment, and the broader industry.

Thank you for being part of the CasaLatina journey. Together, we will continue to strive for positive change and work towards making our business a model of sustainability and responsible business practices with artisan producers, while remaining the premier destination for luxury Colombian and Venezuelan artisan tableware. 

Sharon and Aleja