With a team in the United States in charge of marketing and sales, and a team in India in charge of production and artisan relations, Handmade Expressions is proudly classified as a true Global company.

This section will help you learn more about the teams behind the scenes, working towards better fair trade sourcing solutions.

US Team

Austin, Texas

Manish Gupta
Sales & Business Development

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 at Ann Harbor. 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

Ruchi is an award winning graduate from the “National Institute of Fashion Technology”, Hauz Khas; a prestigious fashion college in India. Before joining Handmade Expressions she worked with some renowned names 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. She also leads the development of customized products for client organizations, including retailers, non-profits and other groups.

“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

Sunil Pandita
Financial Planning and Forecasting

Sunil Pandita is a successful engineer who graduated from Texas A&M University with a Masters in Computer Science. Since then, he has been working for Corporate Planning at Dell in Austin, Texas.

He first heard about fair trade from Manish Gupta, his good friend. Immediately, Sunil was drawn to the concept of an alternative system, and got interested in the social impact as well as the business development aspect of the movement. As Manish made Handmade Expressions flourish, Sunil realized that he could use his skills in supporting this business with a positive cause. He eventually joined the team as the financial and strategic planner.

“I hope more and more industries can understand and embrace the principles of Fair Trade”, Sunil expresses. Like the rest of the team, Sunil understands that a system where workers are treated like assets and not people is not sustainable.

Contact: sunil@handmadeexpressions.net

Mark Ostroth
Operations, IT and Webmaster

Mark Ostroth is a business administration graduate from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. 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

Jennifer Lucas
Sales

Jen was born and raised in Dayton, OH and earned a B.A. in Criminology from Ohio University. She has a diverse professional background that ranges from selling educational books to working as a mortgage broker and a probation officer. Jenifer has volleyed between various sales and social work positions, her two passions. In the past, she has used her sales skills to provide her the resources for travel and do things she actually found fulfilling.

Her desire to make a difference in the world compelled her to travel internationally, seeking a way to engage with the third world and understand how our two worlds are connected. It was on a recent trip to India that it became clear that working in Fair Trade would be the perfect way to have a social impact while utilizing her sales skills. While traveling in the region of Kutch, Gujarat, she met and fell in love with a school training village women to use their traditional embroidery work to make products attractive to an urban market. Jen decided that she wanted to promote Fair Trade products in America, and eventually found herself back in Austin, TX interviewing with a business serendipitously working with the very group she was so fond of.

Jen has found her calling in Fair Trade and is excited to be part of the Handmade Expressions team. Jen hopes Handmade Expressions will help her see the fulfillment of a dream to educate and promote the availability of Fair Trade products to mainstream consumers.

Contact: sales@handmadeexpressions.net

Juan Portillo
Marketing & Communications

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.

Contact: juan@handmadeexpressions.net

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