MINING IN MEXICO S - ProMéxico

62 Negocios i The Lifestyle photo archive
punctual production and quality standards,
without losing traditional manufacturing
methods.
Fair Trade and Community Partnership
While Xochipilli is an international trading
company, Xochiquétzal is a non-profit
organization. It may seem contradictory but,
according to its founders, the two complement
each other. As with the Aztec god and
goddess, they were born together to work for
a common goal: Mexican artisans and craftsmanship.
In a way, one of the organizations is in
charge solely of the products and goods,
whereas the other is responsible for the
men and women who manufacture them.
So, while the trading company specializes in
finding international clients who value the
work made in Mexico, its twin organization
is devoted to training those in charge of producing
this work to improve its quality.
Since their birth, they joined the World
Fair Trade Organization (WFT) and later
they applied for membership of the European
Fair Trade Association (EFTA), in order
to create an ethical trading culture delivering
benefits for the producers and artisans,
as well as for their international customers.
Xochipilli-Xochiquétzal, which initially started
with 100 workshops, has decided to concentrate
its efforts in 18 training workshops
located in five states: Guerrero, Oaxaca,
Guanajuato, Estado de México and Morelos.
Balance and Sustainability,
Tradition and Quality
To honor their name, these organizations act
as true guides for the artisans. They choose
their suppliers based on their ability to produce
beautiful works featuring the distinctive
Mexican tradition aspect and willingness
and openness to receive training at the
workshops in order to upgrade production
and quality standards.
“We could say our specialty is the pieces
in rustic clay, although we also organize
workshops and courses and later export
handicrafts made with lacquered wood, tin
and ceramics baked at medium and low temperatures,”
explains Inez Villaseñor Salto,
general manager of Xochipilli-Xochiquétzal.
Today, the annual sales abroad with the
support of these organizations account for
roughly 120,000 usd, which benefit around
100 Mexican artisans and their families.