Of course I would say that anyway. Everyone would; but Angelica has been up to something special recently and it’s going to launch tomorrow.
Despite her regular work on our IT Decisions company in Brazil, where she is working for several clients including a couple of different US-based publishers and additional work – like commenting this week on entrepreneurs in Brazil for the Commonwealth Secretariat – she is about to launch a new venture.
It’s called Gift Brazil and before even launching she has collected together 3,600 fans on Facebook – all of them are people who just love the idea even though they still can’t buy anything.
Gift Brazil is a collective of artisans in Brazil all using this channel to sell their products. Angelica has her own products on there, but she is also offering the platform to other artisans. It really is connecting very remote rural artisans with the globally connected world… connecting the new and old.
I think this venture is tremendously important. It’s not just about making a few quid from selling gifts, there is so much more to this and this is why I’m so proud of what she is already achieving with the venture.
- So many “gifts” from Brazil are T-shirts featuring toucans (often not even printed in Brazil) or a new pair of Havaianas flip-flops. This collection of gifts is handmade by rural artisans and curated personally by Angelica and her team – so the buyer knows that they are going to get something genuine and unique.
- This creates jobs in remote rural communities where traditionally these artists have only ever been able to sell to passing tourists – now Gift Brazil lets them sell to the world – using English (and at no charge to the artist at all).
- This preserves cultural traditions that have existed in these rural communities for generations. If people can make a living from their art then they will not be forced to abandon it in favour of regular jobs – as many have been forced to do.
- This promotes digital inclusion as artisans who can use tools like email are already helping out those who can’t and Angelica has some specific plans already in place to fund training sessions – helping people in remote locations get more from the Internet.
I think this is a great idea. Angelica’s idea will create rural jobs in Brazil and create opportunities to sell globally where none existed before – and it gives better products to the buyers with an interest in Brazil. Everyone wins!
I’m really proud that she put this entire project together – with help from her mate Flavia. It already features hundreds of individual items from dozens of artisans and will launch tomorrow (Dec 3rd) at the National Handicrafts Expo in Belo Horizonte – a trade fair with an expected attendance in the region of 165,000 people!
So please take a look at Gift Brazil. Go and Like them on Facebook and please consider buying something from the site. It’s not just about lining the pocket of a big retailer – this cash is heading directly to help out rural Brazil by creating opportunities for these people to trade with the world.
Angelica can be found on LinkedIn here if you are a journalist or blogger and interested in writing about what she is doing with Gift Brazil.
And do take a look at her Instagram too – it’s packed full of the items they are selling and looks fantastic!
mark hillary 
Nice! I toyed with the idea of selling Brazilian crafts online when I last lived in Brazil, but it never went beyond the idea stage.