River's Mark Trading Company, LLC History

River's Mark Trading Company, LLC (RMTC) was founded in 2008 as a for profit company focussing on fair trade practices in the country of Turkey.

The vision of RMTC was to provide income generating opportunities for women in low-income and poverty situations in the villages of Turkey through the development of traditional hand-made crafts. Such a focus enables the women to use skills they already have to create products and generate income for their households. Another positive side-effect of this approach is also the encouraging of the continuation of traditional crafts in an age when many of these fine skills are being replaced by machines to enable mass production.

RMTC contracted as many as 14 women in villages in East Central Turkey to create necklaces and bracelets based on the traditional craft of Oya (or Turkish Lace). Many women would use this mix of beads and thread to adorn their headscarves. Each shape, color, and combination has a meaning, from the celebration of a birth or engagement, to expressing frustration with a loved one, or even the loss of a family member. RMTC also employed one woman in the village to coordinate the production effort. Not only did this provide additional income but it also helped buid respect for her in the community.

Over the past 3 years, RMTC has provided thousands of dollars of income for these women while also donating a portion of profits to local charities and non-profits that focus on providing basic needs and justice for people around the world.

Today: As much of the operations (sales, marketing, distribution) was run by volunteers on a part-time basis and communication with the villages is difficult from the United States, RMTC ceased new production in early 2010. Having a stock of nearly 1000 pieces of jewelry, the focus has been on selling existing products and continuing to distribute a portion of the profits to organizations that focus on providing opportunities for those in need. In mid 2011, it was decided that RMTC would wind down operations and the plan is to liquidate existing stock and close the company on December 31, 2011.

The vision of RMTC will continue on outside of the company. It has been both a challenging and rewarding journey and many lives have been positively impacted. We thank everyone who has volunteered, assisted, and purchuased from RMTC.

Sincerely,

Brian T. Greiwe
Founder

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