Handmade Expressions is made up of 2 teams. One team is located in Austin, TX, and is in charge of product design, web control, shipments, sales, marketing and operations. The other team is located in India and is in charge of artisan relations, production, quality control, and most importantly, upholding Fair Trade practices. Because of our two international teams, Handmade Expressions is proudly classified as a true global company.

This section will help you learn more about the team members who work towards better Fair Trade sourcing solutions.

US Team

Austin, Texas

Manish Gupta
Sales & Business Development Manager

Manish Gupta has a professional background in engineering and operations. He has extensive work experience as a plant manager for a chemical industry company and Operations Manager for Dell in Austin, Texas. Before working at Dell, Manish earned his Masters in Operations Management from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and is a fellow of the Tauber Institute for Global Operations. Though he found his professional life enriched by these experiences, he felt this lifestyle kept him distant from his vision of leveraging commerce to uplift the underprivileged people of the world.

While he was working at Dell, Manish came across the concept of Fair Trade. He was inspired with the conscious application of trade to facilitate development and progress, and took some time off to travel within rural India. He met a number of artisans and realized that they needed help. He comments: “There is so much sadness in those hands that create such beautiful things.” Not only were these people suffering, but a number of traditional art forms were fading away. He realized he could use his skills and opportunities to create a difference in their lives, and at the same time create a fulfilling path for him. That is when he decided to form Handmade Expressions, a company with the mission of empowering underprivileged people in the world by reinforcing local economies through just and responsible practices. He leads the company and is in charge of the overall business development.

“This has been an enjoyable journey”, he says smiling. He has had the opportunity to work with a number of great people in this industry, learning something from each one of them. “We are making a difference in lives of artisans everyday and, at the same time, engaging more and more people in this movement of social responsibility” he tells the rest of the team, “but we still have a lot more to do!” Indeed, he has set a great goal for Handmade Expressions: to make Fair Trade a mainstream and sustainable business model. He is coming closer to this goal with the help of an exceptional team of professionals. Manish also serves on the board of directors for the Fair Trade Federation.

Contact: manish@handmadeexpressions.net

Ruchi Agrawal
Design and Product Development Coordinator

Ruchi is an award winning graduate from the “National Institute of Fashion Technology”, Hauz Khas. Before joining Handmade Expressions she worked for labels like Zara, Guru, Mango and Ritu Beri.

Born and brought up in India, Ruchi has closely worked with various art styles and traditional crafts from different regions of India. While studying these crafts, she learned about fair trade and how it could help a great number of people achieve economic sustainability. She is now in-charge of design and product development at Handmade Expressions, creating products aligned with the trends of the North American market, yet rich with traditional art.

“I really love and appreciate Handmade Expressions’ commitment towards quality, art and sustainability”, Ruchi shares with the team. Keeping art and tradition alive are principles close to her heart, and Handmade Expressions helps her support this cause. At the same time, she is able to help artisans bring their art into the modern world by designing functional products.

Contact: ruchi@handmadeexpressions.net

Mark Ostroth
IT Manager

Mark Ostroth is a business administration graduate from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and a fellow of the Tauber Institute for Global Operations. At Michigan, he received a liberal education in economics, history, and psychology. He learned about the potential technology has to bring about development, creating social & economic change. He decided to work in manufacturing and logistics to gain hands on experience of working with others to solve pressing issues facing businesses with countless stakeholders.

It was in his operations management role at Dell that he met Manish Gupta, a fellow Wolverine and an individual whom he greatly respects and admires. “Manish has an uncommon ability to work diligently for a business without losing sight of what’s important in life” Mark comments about Manish. After they had both left Dell, Manish approached Mark about working for a mission-based company with the ambitious goal of ending world poverty.

Mark’s time at Handmade Expressions has been rewarding and he is grateful to be working with such a talented and positive team. “I love the opportunity I have to make the world a better, fairer place”, Mark mentions. He is motivated by the mission and the sense of camaraderie at this company. Mark is in charge of logistics, support and technology at Handmade Expressions. “I hope to leverage today’s technology to create opportunities for people who are most distant and in most need of this technology’s benefits” he ends.

Contact: mark@handmadeexpressions.net

Kasia Matosek Wood
Sales Manager

Kasia is originally from California and just recently moved to Austin from Boston. “I am very happy to be back to warmer weather here in Austin, Texas! “, Kasia shares with the team. Since her time at the University of California at Berkeley, where she studied political economics, she has worked for almost seven years in merchandising and product management for such large companies as Gap, Inc. and New Balance. Kasia has always been passionate about creating, selling, and merchandising modern and functional products to consumers and has always had an interest in the international world.

Throughout her life, she has also always tried to get involved in the community with volunteerism, whether it was helping to build a house for people in need or working with youth who needed crisis counseling. “Now that I have joined the team at Handmade Expressions, I can finally effectively combine my passion for great products with my passion for doing good by working in fair trade”, she expresses. Kasia is energized and inspired after learning the stories of the artisans who create our product as well as through meeting and talking with each member of the Handmade Expressions team.

Contact: kasia@handmadeexpressions.net

Juan Portillo
Marketing & Communications Associate

Born and raised in El Salvador, Central America, Juan pursued his tertiary studies at The University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a BBA degree in Marketing. Before working at Handmade Expressions, Juan had some experience working for organizations with a mission such as SITA and the National Hispanic Business Association. After those experiences, it only seemed right for him to get involved with a fair trade company.

Juan is in charge of marketing & communications for Handmade Expressions. He is involved in various initiatives for increasing Fair Trade awareness for consumers and retailers. He really enjoys what he is doing, and perceives the mission of the company to be very honorable.

“My wish is to help the fair trade industry grow and promote sustainability in the world”, Juan has told the team. Coming from Central America, he has witnessed the injustices committed on people with a lack of resources. By working at Handmade Expressions he hopes to give the fair trade model a good business reputation that everyone should follow.

On his free time, Juan does Improv theatre, he does volunteer work for a leadership program for undergraduate girls at UT, teaches English in an immigrant shelter, and likes to play with his pet parrot Makoto (who frequents the office). He is a self proclaimed feminist and his favorite part of Fair Trade is the empowerment of women.

Contact: juan@handmadeexpressions.net

Matt Mogyorodi
Customer Support Manager

Matt was born in Hungary and lived there several years before moving to the United States with his family. They moved to Houston when he was a kid, where he grew up before coming to Austin to pursue a university degree. He graduated from the University of Texas in 2006 with a degree in economics.

When asked why he decided to work in a Fair Trade company, Matt mentions: “Because it’s fair”. He then adds that he really likes working at Handmade Expressions because of the “wonderful team and pleasant work hours”.

Matt, though at times very quiet, is full of curiosities. His favorite animal is the elusive meerkat. He is into feminism and wants to learn more about it. He was also struck by lightning when he was 15 years old in Hungary, on a rainy summer morning.

Contact: matt@handmadeexpressions.net

Tyler Pendergrass
Shipping Associate

Born in Austin, Texas, Tyler is the only native Austinite at Handmade Expressions. When he was young, he moved right outside of Austin to Lockhart, Texas, where he helped his parents run a convenience store. As he became an adult, he started running the store by himself.

Tyler decided to move back to Austin in 2008, where he eventually became part of the Handmade Expressions team. He is in charge of all of our shipping and is very happy to contribute towards the fair trade cause. He says he has developed an appreciation for handmade crafts and for sustainable products!

Jani Saarisivu
Project Manager

Jani was born and raised in Sweden, but his life really switched gears at age 12 when his family moved to India. It was an exotic and exciting experience for him, and it was the start of his life adventures around the world. “I have gone about life my own way”, says Jani, who chose to cover the globe before heading off to college. He has worked, traveled or studied in 44 countries on all continents except Antarctica, “but I hope that too can be arranged at some point!” he adds with enthusiasm.

When it came to going to college, Jani wanted to apply his extensive experiences with cultural diversity to his academic life. Thus, he chose to study psychology and anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin.

After college, Jani wanted to get involved with the Fair Trade movement and do something meaningful. “I think I would feel hollow if I just toiled away at some job that only benefitted me, which is why working with Fair Trade is a good match for me” comments Jani. He continues: “I have seen the people on the other end of our consumerism and know that they need support from us”. Thus, Jani started a special project with Handmade Expressions, in which he hopes to create a communication platform to connect Fair Trade players and information.

“The challenge right now is to find a way to make people in the developed world feel what I have seen, which is not going to be easy” Jani concludes.

Jani has a lovely family, whom he loves dearly. He also loves sports, so when he’s not climbing up the Fair Trade mountain he is either battling the other crazies in Austin’s soccer league, pounding his Titleist golf ball, or tossing his daughter as high as he can (and she can stand!).

Contact: jani@handmadeexpressions.net

Samantha Vicha
Design Intern

Samantha was born in Houston, Texas but moved to Austin with her family when she was seven. She recently moved back to Austin after graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a B.F.A. in fibers with a minor in fashion design. Living in Georgia for the past four years, Samantha missed the eclectic Austin spirit and is happy to be back. Even though she recently started her design internship at Handmade Expressions, she is enjoying the company of her co-workers who have been very helpful and kind to her. She says that, “the are many restrictions and challenges when designing sustainable products that are fair trade, but it is worth it to know that we are helping talented artisans in India and their families maintain their craft and live a comfortable life.”

Contact: samantha@handmadeexpressions.net

Kelly Yarbrough
Marketing Communications and Graphics Design Intern

Kelly was born and raised in Plano, Texas, and graduated with a BA in Art and English from Austin College in Sherman, Texas. Art has been a powerful form of communication in her life for as long as she can remember, and she loves the journey of figuring out how to best use her talents in a complex, ever-changing world. Kelly has had a variety of different opportunities to travel internationally and meet new people – from St. Petersburg, Russia to Suchitoto, El Salvador. She credits these experiences with giving her a passion to pursue and promote the ideals of fair trade in a global setting. She is excited about joining the team at Handmade Expressions as the Marketing Intern, and sees the position as an opportunity to spread the word that fair trade is not a fad for a niche market, but a consciously sustainable and global movement that everyone can join in on!

Contact: kelly@handmadeexpressions.net

India Team

Our India team takes care of logistics, artisan relationships, exporting, among other duties in India. They are now a registered Non-Profit Organization. Congratulations India Team!

Rashmi Dhariwal
Sourcing & Artisan Development

Rashmi is a successful textile engineer from a prestigious school in North India. Rashmi has worked in the past with a large manufacturing organization in India as head of Technology and quality assurance.

“I was brought up in a loving and protective family atmosphere, without ever realizing the hardships of life that a lot of people have to go through,” Rashmi tells the team.

Rashmi was leading an easy going and comfortable life when she came in contact with an artisan community, who had expertise in hand weaving fine fabrics with intricate designs & motifs. Their art was beautiful, but they could not compete with the power loom fabric available in the marketplace. While they were so good at their art, they still had no prospect of good income. The lack of access to a market and the technology-driven competition were taking their toll on the artisans and the art was dying along with their spirits. They were forcing their next generation to work as cheap laborers rather than pursue their rich art and culture. “That made me realize that there was a lot more in life and that I should try to make a difference, however small it may be,” Rashmi shared. She continued: “There had to be a bigger purpose of my being.”

Rashmi left her job and spent some time with the community, helping them design modern products and identify ways to reach the market. They designed modern products using their art and held exhibitions in various parts of the country, getting them appreciation for their art and business. This gave the artisans a lot of confidence and hope for their art. At the same time, the entire experience helped Rashmi visualize a process which could be used to support various artisans achieve economic sustainability and growth.

This was the time when she came in contact with Handmade Expressions, who shared the same goals and aspirations. It was only natural for Rashmi to join Handmade Expressions as their sourcing and product development arm in India. She is also in charge of artisan development programs.

“With Fair Trade, everyone can make a difference in this world!” she says.

The Indian arm of Handmade Expressions, focused on artisan development is known as SETU which in local Indian language means: A bridge for the uplifting of Artisans.

Contact: rashmi@handmadeexpressions.net