Haiti Made Blog / Impact

What makes our leather goods different? From start to finish, our leather goods are proudly 100% made in Haiti. Not only are all Haiti Made leather goods thoughtfully designed and meticulously handcrafted throughout each step of production here at our workshop in Grand-Goave, Haiti, all of our raw leather materials are made in Haiti as well.

Since our founding in 2014, Haiti Made has partnered exclusively with Hawtan Leathers (Cuirs Hawtan) to supply all of our raw leather material needs. A premier international leather manufacturer and distributor based in Massachusetts and Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Hawtan has one of the largest tanneries in the Caribbean and has operated continuously in Haiti since 1970. Hawtan’s Port-au-Prince tannery and processing facilities employ 100+ Haitians and are large enough to process 700,000 square feet of custom leather and raw leather monthly.

Hawtan supplies leather to companies across the Americas, Asia, and Europe, and we are proud to be one of them. Being able to partner with and support a local Haitian business like Hawtan’s Port-au-Prince tannery, while they provide us with high-quality leather is crucial to the big picture of our mission which is to build and create a circle of trade centered quality goods made in Haiti, to create dignified employment for Haitians, and to promote economic sustainability in Haitian communities to end the deep-rooted cycles of poverty that have long existed in Haiti.

To get a great final product, you have to start with great raw materials. Our certified vegetable-tanned (veg-tan for short) leather from Hawtan is old-world saddle grade leather made from cowhides that come from certified grass-fed cows in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Iowa. Processed at Hawtan’s Port-au-Prince tannery, our certified veg-tan leather is made using a special process that utilizes natural tannins made from organic materials.

The veg-tan leather tanning process is slow and artisanal. Many other companies use chrome-tanned leather which utilizes chromium and is more quickly processed, but chromium is a heavy metal that is toxic to the environment and the workers processing it. Veg-tan leather might be a more expensive and difficult way, but to us, it’s the right way. In addition to it being a more natural and organic process, veg-tan leather is unique in that it has a distinctive “leather” aroma, rather than the typical chemical odor of chromium-tanned goods. With every Haiti Made leather product, you will touch, smell, and see the distinction and superiority of veg-tan leather over chromium-tanned leather.

After being artisanally processed at Hawtan’s tannery our certified veg-tan leather arrives at our workshop in Grand-Goave to be artisanally handcrafted into a beautiful Haiti Made leather product. Each leather product is 100% cut, stitched, and stamped with the Haiti Made logo by hand, and coated with neatsfoot oil to condition and further protect the veg-tan leather. Stitching by hand on veg-tan leather creates a stitch that is extremely durable, much stronger, and more elegant than a stitch created with a sewing machine.

Craftsmanship is what makes Haiti Made. Some Haiti Made leather products are made, start to finish, by one Haiti Made team member individually. Other Haiti Made leather products require a more collaborative production effort and thus have been touched and made with many different hands, each doing their part to get to the final product. The beauty of handcrafted means a part of each Haiti Made team member is imprinted on each Haiti Made product like a piece of art.

One of the best things about our veg-tan leather goods aside from their durability is the fact that you make them your own. The artisanal techniques used by Hawtan to make our high-quality vegetable-tanned leather means that instead of degrading and deteriorating, all Haiti Made leather goods will soften and develop a beautiful patina as they age. With day-to-day use over time, our veg-tan leather goods show their character with a strong leather patina, a.k.a the natural accumulation of dirt, oils, sunlight, and wear and tear that combines to create a darkened, sheened, and softened look. This look tells a story, and through everyday use, your own Haiti Made leather goods will develop a patina that will tell your story, a story that started in Haiti.

From start to finish, our leather goods are proudly 100% made in Haiti.

As Father's Day approaches we are again reminded of our mission and the impact that we’ve made in the lives of not only our employees but their families as well. Currently, there are three fathers (Laurencin, Jean Sonet, and John Fendy) employed at Haiti Made. Like the mothers at Haiti Made, these dads are key leaders on the Haiti Made team.

In honor of this group of dads, we sat down to reflect and discuss the joys of fatherhood and what it means to them. Bònn Fèt Dè Pè! (Happy Father's Day!) 

Jean Sonet – Jean Sonet is the father of two young boys, a 3 year-old and a 1 year-old. To Jean Sonet, fatherhood is the biggest transition in a man's life and you must be there for your children in every way. As Proverbs 22:6 instructs us, correctly raising, providing for, and sufficiently being in the lives of your children enough is most important. One of his favorite parts of being a father is the feeling he gets when he returns home from work at Haiti Made and both of his kids run to him shouting daddy, daddy, daddy. There are so many other special moments that happen day-to-day.

John Fendy – John Fendy is the proud new father of a baby boy named Fenshee. Fatherhood to John Fendy means being mature and responsible in all areas of your life, your child comes first before everything else and you must plan accordingly. While there are challenges, he loves the changes that becoming a father has brought to his life, especially every moment where he gets to hold his child and share smiles.

Laurencin – Laurencin is the father of a 9 year-old and a 10 year-old. To Laurencin, becoming a father is a life-changing experience that changes every way you think and act. You must work harder than ever to not only provide for them but to also be there as a teacher so you can raise them and help them grow up to be the adults you want them to be. This is important for not only you as a father but for society as well.

In the spirit of Fashion Revolution Week 2018, we'd like you all to meet one of Haiti Made's longest tenured employees and one of the backbones of our organization, Luc Sony.

Luc Sony is one of Haiti Made’s longest serving employees, having worked with Haiti Made since its founding in 2014. A Grand-Goâve native, Luc Sony is from a family of 4 (mother, 2 brothers and 1 sister). Before working at Haiti Made his family had some financial struggles, but upon his new employment with Haiti Made he was able to begin helping support his mother and sister, as well as assist some of his closest friends.

Not only has the income and financial benefits of working at Haiti Made helped Luc Sony, but the professional skills, training, and craftsmanship that he has learned has inspired him to attain a university degree while continuing to work at Haiti Made.

As Haiti Made has grown since 2014, Luc Sony has grown right with it, taking on more and more duties and responsibilities. Along with Sova, one of our other most tenured employees, Luc Sony has become an experienced leader and mentor for numerous other staff.

Luc Sony is committed to the growth of Haiti Made and he hopes to play a critical role in its future. He envisions a bright future where Haiti Made can eventually employ many more Haitians in both Grand-Goâve and in other parts of Haiti!

Stay tuned to the Haiti Made blog as we will continue to introduce you all to more and more Haiti Made team members and their stories! To find out more about Fashion Revolution and the #FashionRevolutionWeek initiative, please visit www.fashionrevolution.org.

If you are like us, then your 2017 came and went at lightning speed, so what better way to begin 2018 than with a little pause and self-reflection! We also owe all our fans, followers, and customers an update on our growth and on the work that we've been able to accomplish over this past year. In short, it's been a year full of new and exciting ventures as we created new products, began new partnerships, and on-boarded a ton of new hires to the Haiti Made team!

In a year full of change, 2017 began with perhaps the biggest change in our entire history, the separation of Haiti Made from the Hands and Feet Project, and subsequent creation of H.E.I, the Haiti Entrepreneurial Initiative. H.E.I is a for-profit entity that has the mission, vision, and heart to be an economic engine and a key part of the sustainable growth efforts in Haiti. As most who know Haiti Made already know, the history and story of Haiti Made had been one fully intertwined with that of the Hands and Feet Project (HAF). One of the founding pillars of Haiti Made’s mission was based on the essential need to assist and prepare transitional age children at HAF for life beyond the children’s village.

Between HAF providing it’s incredible circle of care around the children, coupled with H.E.I/Haiti Made being able to provide transitional young men and women an option for further growth, we now have a unique opportunity to help them start building their future and avoid the difficult economy and poverty cycles that exist in Haiti. As a permanent place of employment or just as a stepping stone onto other dreams and goals, Haiti Made is grateful to have filled in the gap this past year and hopes to grow in scope and scale to include other great organizations that are transforming the lives of countless individuals.

The H.E.I/Haiti Made mission and vision has grown into a much larger effort this past year. While Haiti Made continues to develop high-quality, handmade retail leather products for customers, we’ve also taken those same products to the custom and promotional world, having manufactured custom products for countless organizations, groups, and companies. We’ve also begun designing and developing one-of-a-kind leather products with other companies, production teams, where having a turn-key HR and manufacturing service are some of what we are calling the new frontier for H.E.I/Haiti Made.

This broader mission and vision will not only continue to empower the transitioning children at HAF, but also reach to empower as many Haitians as possible through sustainable and dignified employment. This has become our reality, as we now provide jobs to a significant number of local community members in the Gressier and Grand-Goâve areas. As we continue to grow, so do the number of opportunities. A Circle of Trade united around quality products, dignified employment, and grounded in a “hand up” rather than a “hand out” philosophy, H.E.I/Haiti Made will continue the fight in delivering sustainability to as many Haitian families and communities as possible.

As for the Haiti Made team, 2017 brought important change and growth that we were incredibly blessed for. We began the year with less than 15 employees in total, yet finished the year with over 60 full-time and part-time employees on the Haiti Made team. As we move into 2018 we hope to keep pace with 2017’s growth and continue to impact as many lives and communities as possible.

On the business side of things, 2017 was full of new and exciting ventures, creating new products, and beginning new partnerships. Overall 2017 was a year of considerable revenue growth, as revenue grew to 100% year-over-year from 2016.

New Haiti Made products created and re-created:

• Bel Tote Dark Brown
• Bel Tote Suede
• Brasle Wrap
• Chante Guitar Strap
• Dosye Portfolio
• Ekoute Earbud Case
• Kreye Journal
• Majik Laptop Sleeve
• Solay Sunglass Case

New Haiti Made retail and custom product partnerships:

• Alclair Audio
• Be The Change Youth Initiative
• Bryan College
• City On A Hill Studio
• Change Co.
• CommonGood Capital
• Ethical Trade Co.
• Give Joy Crate
• Global Empowerment Marketplace
• Orange - The rethink Group, Inc.
• Future Shirts
• LifeWay Christian Resources
• Mission Made Jewelry
• Pelli Golf
• Remy Black Coffee
• The Well Coffeehouse

We are truly blessed for the opportunities that 2017 provided us. We want to give a big thanks to all of our fans, customers, partners and most of all, the Haiti Made team on the ground in Haiti for making last year a very special year. Thank you all for your love, support, and hard work! We are forever grateful! Stay tuned in 2018, there are lots of new changes, products, partnerships, and initiatives yet to come!

Pou yon nouvèl ane plen ak bòn sante, pwosperite, lanmou, ak lafwa! (Here's to a new year filled with health, prosperity, love, and faith!)