Challenges our Artisans Face and Why We Launched Subscription Boxes

As we've just finished kitting the first of our new subscription boxes, it seems like a good time to share with you why we decided to launch our subscription boxes (and why you'll be seeing more gift sets and boxes that you can subscribe yourself or a friend to)!

Since the incredible outpouring of solidarity, our site has really struggled to keep up with you all. And that's a pity – because Palestinian artisans are desperate for market access to generate income and sustain their livelihoods right now.

Our artisans face a number of barriers when accessing materials for their products. In fact, the products and raw materials that our artisans are able to get into Palestine have to go through the Israelis – so things can get caught up at port for months and then artisans are really limited on what they can use.

In fact, one of our new artisan groups uses a very specific type of holed fabric for their embroidery. If the material they use varies and has different sized holes than normal, their designs can look completely different even when they use the exact same patterns and cost a lot more in threads and time. So, we’ve had to start paying for the entire roll of fabric, which can be 80-120 meters long and can cost upwards of 500 hundred dollars per roll. But who’s able to invest in that when there’s already a critical need for economic support?  

So the question comes down to how we can overcome this challenge. What happens when you’re an individual woman or a small group of women and you can’t afford to put that kind of money into your raw materials? What we’re facing is an unprecedented reality where our borders and imports are under blockade.

With more and more artisans continuing to approach us and ask us for support, we thought that one of the best ways to do that would be through subscription and gift boxes. This means that artisans get a big order of 50 (or even 100) pieces and they’re paid on delivery. This has made a huge difference for their economic situation.

The subscription boxes can also help support up to 20 different artisans per box! And while we cut off subscriptions to our Falastini Box, we are just about to launch an All Natural Bath Gift Box and a Palestinian Kitchen Gift Box – both of which can be a one time or a subscription purchase. Woohoo! Imagine every month your supply of extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil from Palestine simply appears at your doorstep so you can enjoy the tastes of Palestine in your own home!

We are really proud of the work we are doing and especially proud of our artisans who are really fighting to hang on in an incredibly delicate and weak economy. We warmly thank you for your continued support of all our work and for putting your money directly into the Palestinian economy!