Web update
We're now <----this----> close to being open online - and while we're making the final few adjustments you may notice some weird comings and goings. Please bear with us while we finish polishing the bells and whistles to our virtual shopfront!
What we did on our holidays
It has been such a whirlwind since we got back from Mexico that my plan to update the blog with details of all of our travels has become slightly waylaid. Now that I have five minutes I thought I should let you know about some of the places we visited and where we found the stock we're selling in our new pop up shop in Hay on Wye.
We started off in Xalapa, about four hours east of Mexico City. This was the home for the Hay Festival for a few days, which featured an incredible line up of literary talent, including Jeanette Winterson, Ed Vulliamy and Wole Soyinka. An incredible dry clean for our brains, and a beautiful city which we'd never visited before.
From Xalapa we headed south to Oaxaca. When we had visited previously in 2005 we'd been disappointed - the central square was being renovated, there seemed to be loud tourists everywhere and the whole city had the air of somewhere slightly down at heel. This visit was very different. The air was clear, the people were welcoming, the food was incredible, and crucially we made two very significant contacts. One, a government run co-operative, helped groups of artisans in the surrounding towns to pool their labour and ensured they were paid a fair wage. The second was run more commercially, though still along fairly traded principles, which meant they could help with larger quantities and a clear route to get more stock when we need it. This felt like a great leap forward.
After a quick pit stop in Mexico City we headed south again to Cuernavaca. Having lived here in the past we had a fair idea of where to go and again we managed to make contact with two or three really interesting suppliers.
All in all it was a hugely important trip for us, and one which has allowed us to open our pop up shop with some really enticing products and a truly hand-picked range. Come and see us in Hay on Wye, or sign up to our mailing list to find out when our online store opens.
We're now open!
Our new pop up shop in beautiful Hay on We is now open. You can visit us Tuesday to Sunday at Hay Castle - if you get to the top of the hill you can't miss us, we're opposite the honesty bookshop. It's a bit of a toe in the water - and who knows where it will lead? - but do come and say hello if you want to see what we're up to!
All set for tomorrow
Starting to get excited now. This time tomorrow we'll be in the air, winging our way towards Mexico City. We've made some great progress over the past couple of weeks, chatting to some of the very helpful people at UKTI Mexico and also doing some research and development here in Hay. We have a few leads to follow up in Oaxaca and Cuernavaca and we're hopeful we might stumble across some more great producers on our travels.
We'll be driving through some of the most amazing scenery in Mexico, visiting the ruins at Monte Alban, the hip sophistication of Oaxaca, and the cosmopolitan allure of downtown Cuernavaca. And we get to see Franz Ferdinand, the Vaccines and New Order!
We should be able to keep the blog updated on our travels, so look out for some photos and more news soon.