Local people, local products
Andes Nativa is working together with several indigenous communities along Chile in consulting and to promote their services and products. The newest project is with a group of indigenous women from San Juan de la Costa, a fisher village at the virgin coast west of Osorno in the Lakes Region.
These women are working in basket weaving and do create beautiful baskets, bowls, cages and lampshades. Due to their geographic isolation, lack of resources and knowledge they were not able to sell their handicrafts to the prices their products are worth. Andes Nativa is helping them to get to different local markets and sell them at different stores.
The women from San Juan do work with a material called boqui, a climbing plant from the vitaceae family found especially abundant in the lakes region but also in complete south-central Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay Paraguay and Bolivia. The huilliche Mapuche in the Lakes region are masters in working this climbing plant and are creating impressive artwork with it. Andes Nativa is also helping them to communicate their products in a better way and in identifying and elaborating new sales channels.
