Our History

We are Ochabe, a Chicago-based social impact brand partnering with independent women entrepreneurs in Colombia to handcraft our collection of jewelry, bags and home decor. All our accessories and home goods are handwoven from sustainable iraca palm by professional weavers who live and work in Usiacuri, Atlantico and Sandona, Narino, Colombia. Ochabe is woman owned and Latino owned, and a proud member of Chicago Fair Trade.

Mission

We preserve the ancestral weaving of the artisan community of Usiacuri, Atlántico, Colombia. Our goal is to inspire the client to value the process and learn about this artisan technique that has a history of more than a century. We recognize the importance of quality over quantity and the value of slow life that protects nature.

Natural materials

The iraca is a wild plant that grows throughout Latin America in warm and temperate climates, it reproduces in its natural environment, by issuing suckers generated by its rhizomes, and even by seeds.

The natural fibers of this plant have become the main material of the traditional craft work of the municipality of Usiacurí, Atlántico, Colombia.

Being of great importance for the daily livelihood of more than 7,000 artisans who are located in this Colombian town, at Ochabe we want to preserve the family tradition of weaving exclusive handmade products that are synonymous with ancestry, thus maintaining our roots from generation to generation.