Located in the northern part of Negros island, Philippines, Hacienda Santa Rosalia is a sugarcane plantation that is home to around 200 families with members mainly employed in the agriculture venture. It is the site of a heritage plantation home and The Chapel of the Cartwheels, a cultural landmark. At first glance, life here is as it was for centuries, slow with the surroundings, only changing in appearance depending on the season. With a closer look; however, one starts to appreciate the delicate home-work-life balance in the 21st Century.
In 1994, Hacienda Crafts was established to augment the incomes of the farm community by providing opportunities from creating products utilizing natural materials. This was in response to the social and economic issues in Negros Island due to the Philippine sugar industry crisis of the 1980’s. What the land and economies of scale could no longer provide, entrepreneurs emerged to fill the gaps.
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Armed with design skills and based in the hacienda, the opportunity soon became a business. Hacienda Crafts started with making table top items like placemats, candle holders and seasonal items for export, buying materials gathered and sourced locally. Eventually, it entered the home & Interiors sector with lamps/ lighting, furniture/ accents and art pieces. Traditional and utilitarian craft skills like basket making, fishnet weaving, loom weaving are expertly incorporated to form creative contemporary and market oriented design, intended to reflect the hacienda lifestyle as well as elevate and preserve cultural traditions and heritage craft. Hacienda Crafts items furnish homes, resorts, hotels & restaurants in the Philippines & abroad.
Ninety percent of the artisans are women who work from home and are able to go about their lives while earning an additional income for their families at the same time. From the initial group, Hacienda Crafts has expanded its supply chain to other artisan individuals & groups all over the Philippines.
Working in a community setting has its share of advantages and challenges. To stay relevant and in-tune with both the domestic and export markets, the company continues to upgrade its processes (compliance program), provides mentoring/ training to artisans, collaborates with designers and participates in events, staying visible and accessible.
Hacienda Crafts is a co-founder of The Holistic Coalition of the Willing – HoliCOW (www.holicow.ph) based in Cebu City, Philippines, a platform to advocate the principles of sustainability.
Through your patronage, you are supporting the artisans means to a decent and dignified life, promoting sustainable manufacturing and purchasing products that transcend boundaries of time, place, race, gender, culture and trends.
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Hacienda Crafts.