São Paulo – They have won over markets such as Germany, Argentina, Canada, Spain, the United States, Italy and Portugal with their creations. Straight from the rural zone of Maria da Fé, in the interior of the state of Minas Gerais – 485 kilometres away from the state capital Belo Horizonte and 225 kilometres away from the capital of the state of São Paulo –, a group of 35 artisans is making progress domestically and internationally. They make baskets, mandalas, adornments, lighting fixtures, purses, dolls and various accessories using banana tree fibre and recycled paper. The artisans are members of Oficina Gente de Fibra (People of Fibre Workshop), a group within Cooperativa Mariense de Artesanato (Handicraft Coooperative of Maria da Fé).
Oficina currently produces 500 items per month. Apart from the creativity and talent of its members, the brand’s expansion in Brazil and overseas is linked to the use of eco-friendly materials. The group boasts the Institute of Sustainable Quality (IQS, in the Portuguese acronym) label awarded by Central Mão de Minas, an artisan association based in the state. “It has opened a lot of doors to us abroad,” explains the chairman of Cooperativa Mariense de Artesanato, Luiz Antônio Braga.
The doors Braga is referring to started to be opened eight years ago. “Some people on trips to Brazil saw the items and took some with them to the United States,” he recollects. “Ever since, we have joined the Sebrae Handicraft Programme (of the Micro and Small Business Support Programme) and gone to an average of five domestic and foreign fairs each year. That has helped increase our sales,” he explains.
Another important international action was the production of 450 items for the opening of a shop for Natura (a Brazilian cosmetics company) in Paris, France. “We made baskets so that they could have their soaps and creams on display,“ says Braga.
Over the next few years, the aim is to invest in more markets in and out of Brazil, including the Brazilian North and Northeast and the Arab countries. “We know we can close good deals in those regions,” he says. “The Middle East interests us a lot,” says Braga.
In 2011, according to the Cooperative chairman, there are fairs scheduled in the states of Minas Gerais, Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro, and another event has already been attended in Porto Alegre, the capital of the state Rio Grande do Sul. “We go to at least five fairs each year,” says Braga.
Contact
Cooperativa Mariense de Artesanato
Telephone: (+55 35) 3662-2386
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
