It all began with the Patino family in Guadalajara, Mexico. We discovered the most incredibly created ceramic tropical birds they were making. The quality and distinction they produced was an instant hit in the markets we found for them in the United States. Our sales took off and their production kept pace. Sucesses in sales meant the family was able to make many improvements to their simple lives. An addition was put on their house. Later the older children attended university and one even became a medical doctor.
Patino family, circa 1988
The Limon family inspecting another pottery export
In the early 1990's we sought out new artesanos to partner with. We met the Limon family who was producing pottery including the legendary Circle Of Friends. Not only was the family talented artesanos, they were skilled business people. They employed many family members and close friends. They always maintained a working environment with very high standards. This allowed a tremendous capacity to produce larger volumes of their merchandise. When sales took off, they were able to fill frequent tractor trailer loads to market. Twenty years later, we still work closely with the Limon family.
In 1995 we met Don Nicodemus in Oaxaca, Mexico. He operated a cooperative of artesanos who supplied us with a variety of fresh merchandise that included traditional musical instruments. We still support him and his love for Mexican handicrafts to this day. Nicodemus celebrated 50 years in business in 2011. He's still going strong today, making sure every finished product is in perfect condition.
