It was 1999, not long after my partner, David Burns, and I had sold our loft in Chicago and set out on the trip of a lifetime, making our way across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia with our backpacks. Partway through our trip, a fellow traveler invited me to visit a women’s cooperative to purchase some fair trade gifts. I was intrigued, as I hadn’t heard the term “fair trade” before. Once I learned what it was, I knew this was what I was going to do next.

To say I became obsessed would be an understatement! Fair trade seemed to hold so many solutions, and I wanted to create a business to work with the artists and artisans we were meeting – one that promoted their skills and provided support to their communities. The name "WorldFinds" came to me one night and I decided to make it official.

So, there I was the next day, in a crowded cybercafe in Kathmandu, registering a domain name for a company that didn't yet exist. But I was forming an idea, and I set out to learn everything I could about how to best partner with artisans and run a global fair trade business. Everywhere I went I made new connections, and I began to put together a plan for what WorldFinds could become. After more than a year abroad, we headed home and I got down to work.

I'd always had a love of unique jewelry and accessories, so I put together our first product line for the U.S. market, in close collaboration with our artisan-partners in India and Nepal. It took a lot of trial and error, but soon enough, we found our seasonal rhythm and began to build a reputation for thoughtfully designed, ethically handmade goods. Within a few years, WorldFinds had its foundation, and we've been growing ever since.

Back then, WorldFinds was just a dream – an idea I had for a way to create dignified work and economic opportunity for artisan communities. Today, I couldn't be more excited with what we've accomplished so far. We're as committed as we've always been to breaking the cycle of poverty for women, children and families in marginalized communities. And we're immensely grateful to our customers for their role in supporting fair trade practices and sustainable production.

Kelly Weinberger, Founder