We (Beth and Tammy) have a passion to make positive changes in the lives of women around the world. Women are the backbone of most families in developing countries. Multiple studies have shown that when women are economically empowered, both they and their children benefit in powerful ways. In our personal and professional travels, we discovered a number of women's cooperatives in developing countries, where women create unique and beautiful products reflecting their cultural heritages. We desired to find a way to make these attractive products available to the North American market to be able to tell the women's stories and spread the message of the importance of purchasing fair trade.

We founded Bambootique in 2006 out of a desire to directly benefit these women artisans, as well as to offer wonderful products to you, our customers. Each purchase you make from Bambootique directly links you to a woman artisan and her family, while providing you with a unique product you won't find anywhere else. While we believe in the importance of our mission, we hope it's our beautiful products that you bring you back again and again!

Click here to read more of the Bambootique story as told in the Beaverton Valley-Times.

Our Vision

Because of our passion for a just world, we will bring hope to vulnerable women through fair wages and preservation of their cultural heritage. We will engage members of our community in this effort, both as customers and informed agents of social change.

Our Mission

The mission of Bambootique is to offer economic opportunities to artisans worldwide, mainly women, by providing them access to the North American market through a fair trade boutique. Community education is incorporated into all aspects of the business so that the boutique serves as both a viable business and a vehicle of social awareness.

What is fair trade?

 As members of the Fair Trade Federation and Co-op America , we adhere to the principles of fair trade as outlined by the Fair Trade Federation.

According to the FTF, fair trade criteria include:

• Paying fair wages in local context
• Supporting participatory workplaces
• Ensuring environmental sustainability
• Supplying financial and technical support
• Respecting cultural identity
• Offering public accountability
• Educating consumers

The bottom line of fair trade is that the main beneficiary of each sale is the artisan herself, not a middleman or wholesaler. Fair trade is the most ethical way to shop and ensures a direct connection between artisans and our customers.