A Report from the Field: Peruvian Gift Show 2007

This trip got off to an exciting start as the cockpit of our plane shattered during taking-off from Miami International Airport. After circling for an hour it was decided not to dump fuel but rather to make an abnormally high-speed landing; necessary because of the extra weight caused by the fuel-laden plane. We landed without incident and were welcomed by an entourage of 9 emergency vehicles that chased us down the runway. After changing aircraft we arrived in Lima early Thursday morning (October 4th) after a delay of 6 hours.

The first two days have been focused on the 9th Annual Peruvian Gift Show, and reconnecting with our existing artisan groups and searching for new partners that share our commitment to high-quality artisan crafts and social and environmental-responsibility.

This year, Peru is all about the gourds, and we've picked up some new designs - Red Santas, Snowmen and Penguins, and many others (not shown in this blog) - to complete our unique collection. For more information on the gourd-making process, or to peruse our complete line of boxes, birdhouses, baskets, gourd cats and dogs, and musical instruments, all handcarved in Peru, please visit One World Projects.

Materials will be in our warehouse by the end of October or early November. My next note will introduce two new suppliers; one making baskets from toquilla fiber and the other producing handmade-paper crafts from recycled-paper and plants.

We appreciate your support, and thanks for reading!