In an age where you can buy almost anything with the click of a button, we appreciate that you want to know where your products come from and who is making them. Thank you for taking the time to find out about our company. It means the world to us!
ABOUT US
YOU ARE MAKING
A DIFFERENCE
ABOUT US
YOU ARE MAKING
A DIFFERENCE
In an age where you can buy almost anything with the click of a button, we appreciate that you want to know where your products come from and who is making them. Thank you for taking the time to find out about our company. It means the world to us!
ABOUT
VENTURE IMPORTS
All of our products are fair trade. We are members of the Fair Trade Federation and Chicago Fair Trade, and our founder, Jennie, has served on both of their boards. The vetting process to become a member ensures that we are committed to the principles of fair trade, which you can read more about here.
Put more simply, we run our business the way we think all businesses should be run: treating everyone in the supply chain with dignity.
We are fair trade because we care about the people who make our products. We intentionally seek to work with those who are under-represented in their fields, particularly women. We value their many talents and their hard work. The artisans are fairly compensated and we give them interest free loans so they don’t have to borrow from predatory lenders. The artisans are able to work in a safe environment and are treated with dignity.
At Venture Imports, we care about the artisan’s families and are against child labor. But more than just that, we want all children to be able to get an education and to have time to play! The artisans we partner with are able to work from home, or they can bring their children to the cooperative to play while their mothers work. All of the artisan partner’s children are in school—something which is not always the case in a community where school fees are often prohibitive to many parents.
We also care about the planet. We believe in taking responsibility to operate our business in the most sustainable way we can.
To learn more about our fair trade practices, please contact us for more information.
ABOUT
VENTURE IMPORTS
All of our products are fair trade. We are members of the Fair Trade Federation and Chicago Fair Trade, and our founder, Jennie, has served on both of their boards. The vetting process to become a member ensures that we are committed to the principles of fair trade, which you can read more about here.
Put more simply, we run our business the way we think all businesses should be run: treating everyone in the supply chain with dignity.
We are fair trade because we care about the people who make our products. We intentionally seek to work with those who are under-represented in their fields, particularly women. We value their many talents and their hard work. The artisans are fairly compensated and we give them interest free loans so they don’t have to borrow from predatory lenders. The artisans are able to work in a safe environment and are treated with dignity.
At Venture Imports, we care about the artisan’s families and are against child labor. But more than just that, we want all children to be able to get an education and to have time to play! The artisans we partner with are able to work from home, or they can bring their children to the cooperative to play while their mothers work. All of the artisan partner’s children are in school—something which is not always the case in a community where school fees are often prohibitive to many parents.
We also care about the planet. We believe in taking responsibility to operate our business in the most sustainable way we can.
To learn more about our fair trade practices, please contact us for more information.
ABOUT
OUR U.S. TEAM
Jennie founded the business in 2001 after an inspiring trip to South Africa her final year in college. While finishing up her Economics degree, she was working for some professors studying how international trade affects those in the Global South. Fair trade sparked her interest and she began researching how she could best be of help.
Upon graduation, she started Venture Imports with a loan and lots of wisdom from her Uncle Jim. She took another trip back to Africa, this time to Kenya, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, to meet as many artisans as possible. Since then she has been running the company in the US with yearly trips back to Africa—Zimbabwe in the early years and Kenya in the more recent years. If you want to hear any stories from over the years, just email Jen!
Jennie is married to a wonderfully encouraging husband, Jason, and has a delightful young daughter, Salina. She loves social justice and cannot shake her dedication to the Green Bay Packers.
Julissa joined the team in early 2019 and has the responsibility of running the warehouse. She even chips in with customer care from time to time.
Two organizations help fill the part-time positions at Venture Imports. World Relief Chicago introduced us to amazing refugees who need work before they get all of their paperwork finished and are able to find full-time positions with other companies. New Moms has connected us with young women who were trained in their job development program, Bright Endeavors.
ABOUT
OUR U.S. TEAM
Jennie founded the business in 2001 after an inspiring trip to South Africa her final year in college. While finishing up her Economics degree, she was working for some professors studying how international trade affects those in the Global South. Fair trade sparked her interest and she began researching how she could best be of help.
Upon graduation, she started Venture Imports with a loan and lots of wisdom from her Uncle Jim. She took another trip back to Africa, this time to Kenya, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, to meet as many artisans as possible. Since then she has been running the company in the US with yearly trips back to Africa—Zimbabwe in the early years and Kenya in the more recent years. If you want to hear any stories from over the years, just email Jen!
Jennie is married to a wonderfully encouraging husband, Jason, and has a delightful young daughter, Salina. She loves social justice and cannot shake her dedication to the Green Bay Packers.
Julissa joined the team in early 2019 and has the responsibility of running the warehouse. She even chips in with customer care from time to time.
Two organizations help fill the part-time positions at Venture Imports. World Relief Chicago introduced us to amazing refugees who need work before they get all of their paperwork finished and are able to find full-time positions with other companies. New Moms has connected us with young women who were trained in their job development program, Bright Endeavors.
