Arte Indio
Arte Indio
The Firm Arte Indio company was established in 1997. The name “Arte Indio” reflects the art objects produced by the natives of middle and south America as well as Mexico.
Although Latin America is very diverse in culture and language, our interest lies mainly with its natives – the “Indios”. Even though the term “Indio” was at one point a derogative term used to denote the natives, today many ethnic groups associate themselves with this name which relates to their culture and language. The name “Arte Indio” is naturally Spanish, which is the common language in most of Latin America countries.
The focus of Arte Indio lies in two areas: projects and the trade with art and crafts. The projects involve various activities and are designed to show and bring the culture of other people(here the Americas) closer to man. They offer a multi-visional introduction to the unique cultural realm of the Latin American people portrayed through slide presentations in which the music occupies the central important place. These projects are designed primarily for students to increase intercultural awareness and sensitivity for the lives of other people.
We also offer training seminars for teachers, educators,world shop owners and everyone who is interested in learning about Latin American culture and importance of its musical instruments. In these seminars various musical instruments are introduced, their historic background explained and their structure portrayed in a way of playing.
In the sale of the art and crafts object we strictly pay attention to the rules and regulations of Fair Trade. In the early days of our company we were visible at many Markets with our mobile concession stands, in the meantime we supply many shops with our products. In addition, since 2006, our products can be purchased via our Online Shop. Arte Indio is currently comprised of employees in Germany, an assistant in Lima and a large number of helpers (in Germany and Peru) who are very active and dedicated to this project.
Dear friends of the fair trade!
Arte Indio is an alternative, non-profit trade organisation. Since the beginning of our company, for over 10 years,we have been following the standards of fair trade. Our business idea originated from the notion of helping local craftsmen in Peru, to provide them with long term work opportunities for which they receive fair price and to guarantee long-term work prospects. This increases their self-esteem and provides them with an opportunity to greatly improve their life quality.
This is possible through constant exchange of ideas and close contact. At least once a year we travel to Peru to supervise our orders, visit he craftsmen in order to generate new ideas for our products and organize the shipments. All prices for the products are discussed with the craftsmen. These generally are higher than the regular market prices. Many projects/productions are financed in advance by us.
Equally important to us is the educational benefit at the regional level. We organize various Information-Seminars where the local craftsmen receive hints and suggestions on how to optimize their products and production processes in order to meet the quality requirements of the importing countries. Especially in rural areas, we encourage formation of co-operative associations and organizations.
All of this provides a chance for the craftsmen to secure long-term contracts and guarantees them a regular income. In addition, we try to establish contacts between various organisations in Peru (e.g. Schools, co-operations and municipalities) with similar organizations in Germany. Already some partnerships have emerged and several projects are underway. With the sale of mainly craft products, something that Latin America has a long tradition in, we want to inspire a cultural exchange between the countries.
It is our desire to not only offer exotic products, but also to bring cultural awareness and more insight into the local tradition as well as many other advantages to all the participants. We supply detailed information on all the articles we have available and aim to educate and inform about Latin America, its rich culture, politics and music in general. Initially we sold our products at the local markets and different events through out Germany, but the interest and positive feedback we received from our clients empowered us to expand our product range and establish an Internet Shop.
In 2006 there occurred a change in our business.
With the beginning of the wholesale activities to many shops to whom we supply a great deal of our products, we address the criteria of the fair trade even more intensely. As such we were awarded in 2007 with an ATO-TÜV ( Alternative Trade Organization quality certificate)from the German World Shop Federation.
Arte Indio is still a small firm with a few employees and a clear business strategy. This fact in addition to the constant contact with our producers and suppliers allows us to remain more flexible and provide a more personal service to our customers compared to other firms. Therefore, do not be afraid to express your special wishes and requests.
With a bit of patience and to the best of our ability, we will try to accommodate them.
We hope that our efforts will result in at least a modest contribution to make this world a fairer place to live in.
We hope you enjoy browsing and shopping on our site.