Face of Fair Trade: Manish Gupta of Handmade Expressions

When thinking about the Faces of Fair Trade I wanted to highlight for the theme of this year's Fair Trade Month, one of the first things that popped into my head was, Manish! We've been working with Manish and his company Handmade Expressions for quite some time and, as standard Fair Trade business practice dictates, have developed a strong, long lasting relationship with him, so I am happy to highlight him and the work he has done for the Fair Trade movement.

Before pursuing a life in Fair Trade, Manish worked as a plant manager for a chemical industry company and Operations Manager for Dell. Feeling distant from his ultimate vision of leveraging commerce to uplift the underprivileged people of the world, Manish took some time off and traveled to rural India. It was here that he met with different artisans and realized that not only were they suffering economically, but their culture of crafts was suffering too with the risk of traditional art forms slowly fading away.

With this Manish decided to take matters into his own hands and thus established a Fair Trade company that would empower underprivileged people in the world by reinforcing local economies through just and responsible practices. He reflects on his work with Handmade Expressions and positively notes, “We are making a difference in lives of artisans everyday and, at the same time, engaging more and more people in this movement of social responsibility”.

I asked him a few questions regarding Fair Trade because I am always curious what drives people to Fair Trade and what keeps them in it. He was kind enough to enlighten me on my Fair Trade wonderings.

Me: Why do you think Fair Trade is important?

Manish: Fair trade is a REAL answer for REAL world problems.  Through fair trade we can get many people involved in a movement that helps our human brothers and sisters achieve the livelihood that the developed nations enjoy.  It is a practical economic and market model that is yielding positive results.  Fair trade helps us achieve sustainable development in remote areas of the world.   It also prevents the exploitation of people, fosters consideration and understanding for everyone in the world, helps art survive, and gives people a choice to meet their needs and wants in an ethical way (socially and environmentally).

Me: What motivates you about the Fair Trade movement?

Manish:This movement has the ability to connect trade with thoughtful development. It builds respectful partnerships between different worlds, facilitating exchange of cultures and ideas. Seeing firsthand how our efforts can bring electricity (through solar panels) to a remote desert village, or how many young people can receive vocational education thanks to our support of a school, really motivates me to make this movement a successful one.

This movement gives me hope for sustainability of our planet. The focus that is gives to environmental responsibility is essential for our well being.

Another motivation factor is the wonderful people working together for this common goal. I get to interact with artisans, wholesalers, retailers and consumers in our movement.  Every person has been positive and inspiring, which make me feel refreshed every day.

Me: What keeps you in the movement?

Manish: Doing Good is good business. This movement gives me a chance to make a difference in lives of many people while I make a living for myself. There is immense satisfaction in being able to preserve some age old art forms and to create smiles on barren faces. I am very happy to be a part of the movement which is providing such sustainable alternatives to the market place, most of all, “guilt free” towards our people and planet.

Motivating words from a motivating man. It really is stories like this that prove the many possibilities of Fair Trade for me. Not just for the artisan, but for the whole system of trade. In the business world, it's always so easy to forget about the human aspect of it all, but with Fair Trade, it is the people-to-people ties that is the motivating factor, whether it be the artisan and the importer, or the retailer and the importer, or the producer to the consumer.  Oh, Manish, you're so inspiring. Thanks so much for being part of the faces that make up Fair Trade.