Here at Candi Gifts we pride ourselves on sourcing products from around the world, and take the time and effort to meet our suppliers and manufacturers to establish long term business relationships and also friendships.
It’s important to us that we can follow our supply chain to the top and know that our goods come from sustainable sources and that we support the real workers. We are regularly asked if our goods are Fairtrade, but in our experience in many far flung places, associations such as Fairtrade aren’t recognised by or even heard of by many of the locals. Our baskets, for example, come mainly from the Shangdong Province of China, so in order for us to satisfy our own ethical standing, we travel there to witness first hand the manufacturing of our baskets, and take great pleasure in meeting the farmers who grow the willow and their families who weave. Of the crops grown in this area, less than 10% is now willow, with wheat and peanuts taking the majority share.
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Willow takes approximately 16 weeks to grow and is harvested – usually by hand – twice a year. Once harvested, it’s transported by donkey and cart and brought to the village where it needs to be skinned, cleaned and sometimes split. Occasionally it is also steamed which naturally darkens the colour by a few shades and also strengthens the willow. Then it’s woven around wooden frames using an amazing level of craftsmanship and skill which has been passed down through generations. Once completed, the frame is removed and the basket is ready.
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At this point they may be stained or painted if required. The process is incredibly manual, but we can, with hand on heart, guarantee that no children or huge factories are used and that we are actually supporting these hard working villagers and help bring their products to market. We know they receive good prices for their wares and unlike many other companies, we choose not to beat them down on prices in order to increase our margins. We are happy to pay a fair price for a good product.
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Most of our cotton linings also come from the Far East and to select them we visit local manufacturers with whom we also share good business relationships and visit their factories to confirm the source. With such beautiful designs at our fingertips, we have an ever increasing selection of textiles to choose from which includes bold screen prints through to natural unbleached cottons.
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And it’s not just the Far East that receives our support. Many of our products are manufactured in the UK which helps our own economy and cuts down drastically on air miles. To name just a few, our shredded paper comes from Wiltshire and, along with our Wood Shred, are completely biodegradable and recyclable. Our wood shred is even certified by the FSC. It’s produced from totally sustainable soft wood from UK forests and for every tree that is felled, at least two more are planted. Careful stewardship ensures that our country’s forests are eternal. Other UK sourced and manufactured products are our leather straps for hampers which come from Wales, our Bath Bombs which are all made for us in the Midlands, right down to our Wooden Utensil ranges, which are handmade in Suffolk and commissioned from a local craftsman.
We aim to continue sourcing our wonderful handicrafts in this manner.
