About Patasía
Patasía was the name of a boarding school farm in Colombia where my dad, grandpa (Papí) spent his happiest days as a teenage boy learning how to become an entrepreneur.
He would tell endless stories of all their adventures.
In honor of him, his integrity, wit, sense of humor, love of life, love of family, love of business and entrepreneurship, new ideas, Patasía was born.
Patasía is a mother daughter business. We're both creative, crafty, always coming up with new projects, and with an entrepreneurial spirit just like Papí. As crafty women, we understand and appreciate the amount of work needed to make hand crafted designs.
Our mission is to empower Colombian artisans. We work with Colombian natives and communities specializing in hand crafted designs. These artisans, mostly women, grow up learning the centuries old tradition. Each product is hand crafted using original materials, such as;
- Palma de Iraca: Considered a forgotten crop or orphan. It can be used as food, roof, thermal insulation for the tropics. However, it's growing as a raw material for handicrafts in areas of Colombia where violence from armed conflict has been active for decades. Palma de Iraca has become an option for farmers and indigenous communities searching for alternatives to illegal crops to support their livelihood. These products originate in the Atlantico region, in a town called Usiacurí, about 2 hours Northeast of Cartagena.
- Zuncho: The modern take on hand weaving and relatively new to the Colombian art scene are Zuncho bags. Made from recycled plastic these bags carry on the same techniques incorporated in traditional Colombian handicrafts.