Handmade Expressions Team
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 toward 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
Patricia Haber
Designer
From a very young age Patricia Haber excelled in art, photography, and painting and knew that art and design were her passion. At 18, she attended Otis School of Art in Design in Los Angeles. After earning her degree in Design, she remained in Los Angeles for a decade, working as a head fashion designer. Originally from Houston, Patricia recently moved back to Texas and is excited to be designing Fair Trade products with the other talented people at Handmade Expressions.
Contact: patricia@handmadeexpressions.net
Renee McCharen
Sales Manager
Contact: renee@handmadeexpressions.net
Alison Hanson
SalesAssociate
Alison was raised in Northern California and recently moved to Austin from Los Angeles. She completed her undergraduate education at UCLA with a B.A. in Business Economics and minors in Anthropology and Global Studies. With previous experience in the nonprofit industry, she is looking forward to a new opportunity with a Fair Trade-based social business. A self-proclaimed feminist, Alison is passionate about international development and is eager to gain real-world experience working toward economic sustainability and social empowerment, particularly for women. Her interest in international and cultural issues stem from her travels abroad, including six months of coursework in the Netherlands. In working with Handmade Expressions, Alison hopes to spread awareness about Fair Trade and the direct and positive impact it has on communities abroad.
contact: alison@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
Matt Mogyorodi
Operations 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!
Catherine Vouvray
Marketing Manager
Catherine has lived on all three coasts of the US but is happy to have returned to Austin, where she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas. After graduation, she spent time traveling and working as a technical translator. About fifteen years ago she embarked on a career in marketing and advertising, working at consulting firms, global manufacturers, and an advertising agency. Her writing has appeared on TV, on the radio, in national magazines, and online.
She is excited to join Handmade Expressions, where her powers of persuasion will be used for the greater good. As an avid knitter and Waldorf parent, Catherine appreciates not only the beauty of handmade products but also the time and effort required to create them. "I was drawn to Fair Trade because it encompasses both the natural and human aspects of sustainability and often transcends religious and political ideologies," Catherine told the team.
Contact: cath@handmadeexpressions.net
Kelly Yarbrough
Marketing Associate
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
Samantha Harmon
Special Projects Manager
A lover of the Dallas Mavericks, homemade scones and garage sale organizing, Samantha graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a B.A. in International Studies and a concentration in East Asia and Textile and Apparel Management. Samantha has worked with a variety of retail organizations, such as a vegan boutique, non-profit fair trade company, mass merchandiser and social entrepreneur, in the areas of merchandising and marketing. From learning to scuba dive off the coast of Long Caye to living in Shanghai, China, Samantha craves adventure. She is an avid advocate for traveling beyond tourism. Samantha joined Handmade Expressions because of its unique alignment with her passion-using purchasing power and creativity to design a more sustainable world.
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 easygoing 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.
It was only natural for Rashmi to join Handmade Expressions as their sourcing and product development arm in India, because both companies guiding principles. 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 the local Indian language means: A bridge for the uplifting of artisans.
Contact: rashmi@handmadeexpressions.net
Member of Co-op America
Member of Fair Trade Federation