Aldea’s mission is to introduce YOU to the MOVERS and SHAKERS of the developing world.

Fair trade and microcredit loans empower artisans and entrepreneurs.

We work directly with artisans to facilitate access to international markets for their handmade goods; access that creates income-generating opportunities for the artisans that are greater than those available locally. The goods we sell tell the story of the powerful and positive effects of microcredit for impoverished people around the world. Each one of our artisans has had access to a micro-loan of just a few hundred dollars (on average) to enable her to increase her earning potential and improve her way of life.

We believe in conscious consumerism. A greater variety of consumable goods available in the marketplace today enables individual consumers to be more selective, facilitating purchasing decisions based on factors other than price, such as economic, social, or environmental impact. We believe consciousconsumers place greater value on knowing the origins of the products they buy.

We also believe each artisan has an authentic, compelling story that can be conveyed through the handmade goods she fashions. Collaborating with artisans to promote their work through the inspiring stories of their lives, Aldea strives to illuminate the origins of the products she sells so as to create value for those products for conscious consumers like you!

Content on this website is used only with the written consent of each artisan portrayed.

Our Team

• 

  Mike Braeuer
  Principal, President

• 

  Matthew “Matteo” Arnold
  Principal, Director of Sustainability

• 

  Martin Montero
  Social Media Consultant

• Devin Wardell
  Blog Team Leader

• Noor Dughri
  Blog Team Member