Our Story
Marigold Collective is a social enterprise dedicated to the social and economic empowerment of women. We partner with women-focused Fair Trade Artisan Cooperatives in developing countries to provide market access for their high quality products. Our goal is to support women in their effort to overcome poverty and to being able to provide a sustainable livelihood for their families while preserving heritage craft traditions.
Hundreds of thousands of women in the developing world are involved in the artisan sector. Many of these women depend on the income earned from their artisan activities. Artisan activity is the second largest employer in the developing world - right behind agriculture.
Marigold Collective sells certified fair trade, direct trade and ethically sourced goods that are handcrafted by artisans who have been paid a fair wage, are working under safe working conditions and are treated with respect and dignity. While we source primarily from companies that are members of Fair Trade Federation and World Fair Trade Organization, there are a few exceptions. For these companies we research their practices to understand how they apply Fair Trade principles, and to ensure that they are adhering to Fair Trade values.
Fair Trade protects the environment by re-enforcing practices that minimize environmental impact while supporting community development through workplace structures where artisans invest in better housing, healthcare and education for their communities. Fair Trade empowers producers and creates sustainable, positive change.
We are interested in supporting artisans who embrace their country’s unique traditional art forms and engage in sustaining ancient techniques. We believe this helps preserve a country’s cultural heritage while also increasing the value of the artists’ works within the global marketplace through new products and design approaches.
CEO/Founder
Hi! I'm Paula Terrio-Boyd and I am the founder/CEO of Marigold Collective, a social enterprise that I started in 2014. I have a long history of working in community development, fashion and retail and social justice through working in fair trade. Forming Marigold Collective has allowed me to combine all of these passions into one focus.
In the 1990's I had a company called Batavia Trading Company and I worked and lived for almost 10 years in SE Asia. I worked with family cooperatives in Bali producing 4 collections of clothing twice a year using antique ikat fabrics and hand printed and dyed batik cotton and rayon. In Kathmandu, I worked with a Tibetan Women's Cooperative and produced woolen sweaters, mittens, jackets etc. All to be imported to Vancouver and wholesaled as well as sold from our retail store.
I have worked with the Federal Government of Canada on entrepreneur training projects and as well have facilitated and instructed within entrepreneurial training programs at Vancouver Community College. Most recently, I held the position of Regional Manager for Alberta and British Columbia for almost 4 years with Ten Thousand Villages which is the largest Fair Trade retail organization in North America. In 2012, I participated in a Women's Leadership Program through the Minerva Foundation of British Columbia and for my capstone project, I created a corporate responsibility program that has morphed into present day Marigold Collective.
I am passionate about so many things in my life - growing the food that I eat, making delicious food from scratch every day, reading good books, watching movies, listening to great music, riding my bike as much as I can, swimming in the ocean every evening throughout the summer here in Vancouver. I am dedicated and passionate about taking care of and spending time with my beautiful mother who has very complicated and advanced Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. I am passionate about spending time with my lovely daughter who works with me in this endeavor. I feel grateful that I have the capacity and experience to be able to create this social enterprise with the mission to empower women and help alleviate poverty through sustainable employment via a fair trade model.
I want to work with good design made with fair trade principals, transparency and sustainable/ecological production methods. I want to create more opportunities for low-income artisans through access to design and new markets. I have respect and compassion for women all over the world, for many are the first to slip down the economic ladder due to the hardship of maintaining family responsibilities as well as the burden of earning a livelihood. I have felt this directly myself as a single working mother here in Canada - it was not easy but I was fortunate to have an education, a supportive family and live in a country with a safety net and opportunities. I understand better than most the complicated struggle of women in developing countries. This is the underpinning of my dedication to women focused, fair trade artisan cooperatives. Women bring any money they do make, directly back to their families and their communities and understand the importance of education and health care.
Thank you for your consideration and support of Marigold Collective. I really believe that "trade and not aid" is the best way to break the poverty cycle. Your interest and purchase is the most simple, straight forward and mutually beneficial way to empower disadvantaged women.
Hi! I'm Paula Terrio-Boyd and I am the founder/CEO of Marigold Collective, a social enterprise that I started in 2014. I have a long history of working in community development, fashion and retail and social justice through working in fair trade. Forming Marigold Collective has allowed me to combine all of these passions into one focus.
In the 1990's I had a company called Batavia Trading Company and I worked and lived for almost 10 years in SE Asia. I worked with family cooperatives in Bali producing 4 collections of clothing twice a year using antique ikat fabrics and hand printed and dyed batik cotton and rayon. In Kathmandu, I worked with a Tibetan Women's Cooperative and produced woolen sweaters, mittens, jackets etc. All to be imported to Vancouver and wholesaled as well as sold from our retail store.
I have worked with the Federal Government of Canada on entrepreneur training projects and as well have facilitated and instructed within entrepreneurial training programs at Vancouver Community College. Most recently, I held the position of Regional Manager for Alberta and British Columbia for almost 4 years with Ten Thousand Villages which is the largest Fair Trade retail organization in North America. In 2012, I participated in a Women's Leadership Program through the Minerva Foundation of British Columbia and for my capstone project, I created a corporate responsibility program that has morphed into present day Marigold Collective.
I am passionate about so many things in my life - growing the food that I eat, making delicious food from scratch every day, reading good books, watching movies, listening to great music, riding my bike as much as I can, swimming in the ocean every evening throughout the summer here in Vancouver. I am dedicated and passionate about taking care of and spending time with my beautiful mother who has very complicated and advanced Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. I am passionate about spending time with my lovely daughter who works with me in this endeavor. I feel grateful that I have the capacity and experience to be able to create this social enterprise with the mission to empower women and help alleviate poverty through sustainable employment via a fair trade model.
I want to work with good design made with fair trade principals, transparency and sustainable/ecological production methods. I want to create more opportunities for low-income artisans through access to design and new markets. I have respect and compassion for women all over the world, for many are the first to slip down the economic ladder due to the hardship of maintaining family responsibilities as well as the burden of earning a livelihood. I have felt this directly myself as a single working mother here in Canada - it was not easy but I was fortunate to have an education, a supportive family and live in a country with a safety net and opportunities. I understand better than most the complicated struggle of women in developing countries. This is the underpinning of my dedication to women focused, fair trade artisan cooperatives. Women bring any money they do make, directly back to their families and their communities and understand the importance of education and health care.
Thank you for your consideration and support of Marigold Collective. I really believe that "trade and not aid" is the best way to break the poverty cycle. Your interest and purchase is the most simple, straight forward and mutually beneficial way to empower disadvantaged women.
