• La Vida Verde

La Vida Verde

La Vida Verde has been importing gifts, home accessories and furniture from Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Peru for twelve years. It is a Fair Trade organization, which means that all of the artisans La Vida Verde works with are paid a fair wage for their work. There is no child labor, and the working conditions of the craftspeople are above the norm in their respective region. In fact, several have built new homes or workshops as a result of their relationship with the company. Concern for the cultural heritage, respect for the producers' traditions and the environment, attention to detail, and consistency and quality of fine products are tantamount to the company's mission. They work directly with the individuals, the artisan co-ops, or small factories to minimize the costs for the consumer, which also enables them to pay fair wages to the craftspeople. This results in long-lasting relationships with the various artisans in Latin America. Not only do we donate a percentage of our profits to reforestation programs in Costa Rica and other parts of the world, but all of the fine woodworkers we represent have their own reforestation programs in place as well and most work with fallen timber whenever possible. Additionally, La Vida Verde prefers working with wood products that are either plantation grown (such as all the pine lighting) or from sustainable resources.

One of the artisans La Vida Verde works with is Carlos Augusto Hernandez. Carlos makes beautiful breadboards from Costa Rica. He has been making a variety of wood products for fifteen years. He is married to a primary school teacher and has three sons. The types of wood used in the board are Melina, Purple Heart, mahogany, and more.