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Importu was born from a love of travel, exotic cultures and a fascination with time-honored skills of craftsmanship. Importu had its beginnings as Medina Imports which specialized in unusual items from Morocco. Two years later we decided to expand our horizons and attempt to gather unusual items from all over the globe, and Importu was born.
Importu works with a wide variety of groups to bring you the finest, most unusual objects on the planet. Many of these respected groups work closely with the artisans in a particular country, teaching them the skills necessary to keep a balance between consumption of resources and preservation, while still providing income for their families. Others have set up safe houses, schools or refuges where the poor and abandoned can find shelter and food and hopefully learn a trade to support themselves.
The universal belief among all of these groups is fair trade, a safe workplace, and support for the artisans and their families.
Our partners include:
Exploris. Group dedicated to creating self sufficiency among artisans in Africa, Central America and beyond.
Aid to Artisans. A nonprofit organization dedicated to creating economic opportunities for crafts people in developing communities around the world. Through training and collaboration in product development, production and marketing, Aid to Artisans provides sustainable economic and social benefits for craftspeople in an environmentally sensitive and culturally respectful manner.
One World. An organization committed to helping preserve the world's rain forests by developing markets for artisan items that are created from sustainable, renewable rain forest resources.
dZi. A fair trade company that provides Tibetan refugee artisans with new markets for their talents and promotes greater understanding and appreciation of Tibetan culture. Supports humanitarian programs managed by the Tibetan Government-in-Exile with proceeds from sale of artisans goods.
In many cases the Importu staff has the distinct honor of working directly with the artisans, gaining valuable insight into the rich histories of different cultures. We at Importu are committed to fostering the traditions of old--and new--world artisans and to preservation of global cultures. And that's really what it's all about. Right?
Wholesale Orders
Our wholesale subsidiary, Zituna, provides the retail and design trades with unique, high quality home decor handcrafted in Morocco. We have our own group of artisans and quality control teams in various locations throughout Morocco ensuring a wide selection of items produced and delivered in line with Western expectations of quality and reliability. We specialize in sourcing and creating custom and one-of-a-kind pieces. Please visit us at www.zituna.com.
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