Our Mission
I was a journalist, with a bachellors degree in Archeology and Anthropology and worked for the Anthropological Museum of the Central Bank in Ecuador. Due my professional background, I always have admired the meaning our ancient cultures give to the seeds and its spiritual value and this "Selva Culta" knowdledge is still present in our rainforest ethnic groups.
When I moved to America in 2005, I moved for love. You can have everything in live, but if you dont have love , you have nothing. I fall in love with John Thornton , a firefighter in San Diego, CA and started in a new country, a total new adventure. I have been lucky to follow my heart and find mine own path.
My beginning in America was not different from other inmigrants stories. Besides volunteering at the Archaeological Center in San Diego, I started a small business showing in the local farmers markets around San Diego, CA, the artisan handicrafts from my country.
In 2009 the live presented me with a trip that changed my mission and vision in life and gave me a sense of purpose , a meaning to my life.
I was doing acquisitions in a small village of tagua artisans in Manabi, Ecuador. It was a time also of one of the most destructive “El Nino” rainy seasons, during a photo shooting of the tagua rainforest trees , I have to drive around rural agricultural towns and discovered that everything was under water, entire villages, rice crops, potato farms, cows and ranch animals where also floating in surreal lakes caused by the flood of rivers and the roads connecting to the city centers where cut with water. I even have to ask heaven in a small town that night until the water from a flooded river dries or get away from a main road connecting to the closest big city.
In sadness of the environmental and social disaster and the bad luck of the villagers, something dawn on me. I realized like in the case of banana , fruit that is an Ecuador exportation staple, which grows in trees, the tagua nut also grows in tall palm trees and under a heavy rainy season, these are the few crops that can be safe and if people have other income like the crafting of tagua jewels, they can survive the lost of their harvest during bad rainy, El Nino seasons.
In that specific moment , my Aha! moment, I decided to commit my life to the mission of creating awareness about organic jewelry and its important role in the preservation of rainforest and the creation of alternative Eco jobs that can provide income to families totally dependent on solely agriculture.
