Fair trade vases from Thailand

by Andrew Williams | June 12, 2013 | 0 Comments

It's always great to be able to chat to people who come into the shop about the stories behind the products we sell. Every now and then we meet someone with a special insight into something we sell, and this was the case when Julie visited us over the Hay Festival. She explained that she had visited the Sang Arun factory where some of our ceramics are made on a trip to Thailand. Julie was good enough to send us a couple of photos of their trip. 

Julie wrote:

"Hello - you may remember I was in your shop on Bank Holiday Monday and talked to you about the Thai vases you had on display as we had visited the factory where they are made last summer. When I got home I had a look through the pictures from our holiday and thought you might be interested in seeing a couple from the Sang Arun factory - I've even got one of a lady making vases like the ones you  had on display! As you will see the factory is light and airy and all workers were wearing masks to protect them from the clay dust."

We're so grateful to Julie for taking the time to send these snaps to us, and it's amazing to see for ourselves that the vision we're working towards seems to be having a practical effect. A lot of people ask us whether we've visited all of the places where we source our products. Sadly that's not practical at the moment, but we hope to notch a few more off the list as we continue to grow. For now we work with groups and co-operatives as close to the ground as possible to ensure that there are as few steps as possible between us and the people producing the items. 

If you have any photos of fair trade products being produced around the world, any snaps of items you've bought from Eighteen Rabbit in their new homes or pictures of your visit to Hay on Wye, do send them in - there will be prizes for any we feature!

Tagged: ceramics, fair trade, hay on wye, Thailand