Gabriela Flores

Updated March 2012

After moving abroad with her family at the age of 10, Gabriela Flores returned to work in Bolivia in 2000. ‘I was shocked and saddened to see the poverty and inequality in my country, I wanted to do something to help.’ Bolivia is one of the poorest nations in Latin America, dependent on foreign aid. Gabriela volunteered for charities in her spare time, but soon saw this would never be enough. In 2005, she took sabbatical leave from her job as general manager of an international shipping company to come up with a plan. ‘Obviously they thought I was crazy! But I knew the answer lay in business, not charity.’ After a year studying for a business certificate and two years’ practical experience – which allowed her to understand the US market – she returned home once again, ready to set up Kirah Design, a business to sustain artisanal jobs by selling quality stylish crafts and designs.

Learning the hard way

The first years weren’t easy. ‘I learned the hard way – on my own!’ Gabriela invested all her savings into the business and focused on her goal. ‘I wanted to break away from a paternalistic approach. Many NGOs come to Bolivia and do a great job, but leave after a few years with no further plan. Artisans might have fine machinery and good training, but if they’re not selling their products they don’t make a living. It’s as simple as that!’

From the outset, Gabriela sought only the best quality to appeal to a high-end market. She set about finding the top artisans working at the bottom of the pyramid. ‘Kirah’s model is not about commercialising artisans’ products: we make new items with them from scratch, with creative designs that appeal to our culture and clients. It’s a market-driven approach.’ Gabriela is adamant on this point. ‘We don’t sell poverty, we sell a skilfully designed, high-quality product at a competitive price. And with a beautiful story behind it.’

Contemporary designs, traditional craftsmanship

Gabriela works with designers in New York, one of whom inspired the next idea: with Bolivia’s rich forest cover there would be a wealth of discarded wood. ‘He saw it as goldmine! Our wooden products are exclusively crafted from it.’ Indeed, Kirah has a policy of using only recycled or discarded materials for its pieces, from certified forests and sources. Its product lines cover household accessories, gifts and decorations, from beautiful wooden vases and bowls to glassware and furnishings. Other materials include textile from natural fibres and lead-free pewter, which is crafted into nests of serving dishes inspired by the traditional canoes on Titicaca lake – considered by the Andeans to be the birthplace of the Incas...

Key to Kirah’s sustainable approach is its exclusive Master Workshop concept, an umbrella for the entire production process and the place where all products go to be finished and controlled for quality. ‘It’s like a mothership,’ Gabriela explains. ‘It’s where we create the prototypes, order the material – to ensure we can trace the quality and ethical credentials – finish the products and train the artisans. Not in craftsmanship, they know that! But in aspects they are less familiar with, such as consistency, reproducing the design and producing to order and deadline.’ By rationalising the whole process, artisans have less outlay, more revenue and more time to craft quality products.

Global reach for Bolivia’s fair trade

Kirah’s products are sold at its shop in Santa Cruz and two outlets in La Paz. Turnover in 2011 reached US$180,000, with 6,000 pieces sold. ‘Now we need to scale up and break into Europe,’ says Gabriela, disappointed to have found few initiatives in Bolivia, be they government or private, looking to create alliances and promote the country’s talents. But she has partnered with social entrepreneurs working with low-income artisanal communities, who speak local dialects and serve as an interface. To date, the company has trained 700 artisans. ‘Our network is growing because we treat the artisans well, we don’t push them to reduce costs or be paid less – they’re at the bottom of the pyramid: the idea is to lift them up!’

Gabriela’s idea originally came from her managerial job at the shipping firm. ‘I was always travelling for business and looking for gifts to take to our clients, a beautiful Bolivian product we can be proud of.’ This is one reason why Kirah is targeting the Latin American corporate market – and perhaps to show Gabriela’s former boss how far she’s come. ‘When I left he asked if I was trying to be Mother Theresa! I told him I just want to make an impact and give people sustainable jobs.’