Peguche

Peguche, a small village near the larger town of Otavalo, is located in Ecuador’s Northern Sierra province Imbabura. Most of Peguche’s families work in the production of textiles. Although the people value family and community, there are clear distinctions in the level of economic prosperity from one household to the next.  Each family specializes in certain types of products, utilizing manually operated or electrically operated looms and sewing machines. The ability of each family unit to produce and sell is dependent on their accessibility to the market and the rate at which they complete each item.

Some of Peguche’s families have established ties to outside markets, but most are dependent on the local trade in Otavalo’s market, which only attracts large numbers on the weekends.

While the Otavalo market offers real exposure, families selling there must have their own transportation in order to get their goods to the selling location. Without private vehicles, families must pay for transportation which adds considerably to the cost of production in a marketplace where price range is limited.

Without the Otavalo market, families must sell items to middlemen who tend to give low values for the goods. So labor time, transportation, and limited exposure are all issues that confront the partners of INTO in Peguche as they work determinedly to support their families.

INTO gives our partner families an opportunity to sell their products directly from their homes, eliminating any transportation fees or middlemen while offering them a more reasonable price for their product.

INTO also collaborates with the artisans to structure their production patterns, developing the items they are strongest at producing to fit the demand of the market in the United States.

INTO insures a more reliable income flow that allows families to budget, save and plan for the use of their revenue and resources. The security that INTO provides is even more essential for these families since the dollarization of the Ecuadorian currency in 1999 caused extreme changes in the economy limiting sales and the amount of work families can afford to produce. INTO affords families some measure of relief from the concern of changing markets.