Was it worth it...
It's been almost a year since our company has been operating. A year ago, just before Christmas, lying on hostel beds in Leon, Nicaragua, we were wondering what to do next. Together, we had several thousand zlotys of savings. Keep going, continue to South America, or go back to Guatemala and start working with Jose? Jose's leather shoes, as well as the famous Zapatista bracelets, were the first products that we absolutely wanted to show to people in Poland. The decision was finally made. We're coming back. We are coming back to build a company, out of passion for travel to create something of our own. Back in Antigua, we created our first sneaker collection. Handmade lamps, clocks, jewelry have arrived. In Mexico we met Mr. Elias, who made handbags for us. They turned out to be a hit.
Cuero bag , one of our first leather bags
We currently work with over a dozen families from Mexico and Guatemala.
A few days ago we gave an interview for the "Doing business" conference in Poznań. The question was: Was it worth the risk? Without thinking, we replied: Of course we do! Not only because we have our own company that functions efficiently, but for the greatest value of our company - cooperation. We've created something really great, something we'll always be proud of. For our suppliers, we are Ana and Adams, not a European export company. Adam, who always sees something that can be improved and Ana, who has a head full of ideas, constantly comes up with something new. You can complain to her, talk to her. When we invite another family to cooperate, Mr. Elias checks the products, the quality of the leather and assesses whether the item is worth its price. In this regard, he is the mentor and we trust him implicitly. He also helps us find other artists in Mexico. There is no competition among suppliers in the company, each family specializes in a different type of products, and each of them is unique. We all support each other. Cooperation develops us. We teach our suppliers how to make international shipments, how to solve logistics problems that are common in Mexico and Guatemala. First of all, we teach them to care about quality, pay attention to small details that they might not even think about. We work with wonderful, talented and, above all, very creative people. We do not sell two identical products. We want our artists to be able to create something of their own, something different. We can see how important it is for the artist to add something from himself to the product, create his own design technique, or match the type of huipil to the color of the skin. When we receive a product, we know that it is unique, signed with the personality of an artist and a craftsman. We hope that you feel the same when you receive a parcel from SempreArte.
SempreArte also develops us, teaches us, above all, patience. It takes about 2 months to create one handbag collection. Time plays the first fiddle. Human hands are not machines, they need to rest sometimes. Thanks to the company, we also learn to talk, analyze problems and look for solutions together. Our suppliers are our inspiration. Their abilities are unimaginable, and stories from their lives, such as the story of Jose, who walked without shoes in his youth, and today creates the most beautiful shoes in all of Guatemala, constantly motivate us to act. SempreArte teaches us how to help, but reasonably. Give opportunities instead of money. This has been our mission from the beginning. The company is supposed to bring benefits not only to us, but above all to the artists we work with.
Taking this opportunity, we would like to thank you, the people who trusted us, wish you a Merry Christmas and a lot of inspiration in 2019.
