About Us
We strive to make a difference… It’s that simple
Welcome to U-chus Fair Trade Pty Ltd
Since our inception in 2007, U-chus (pronounced U-choose) has been providing the Australian retail /wholesale marketplace with an exquisite range of fair trade ethically made handicrafts sourced from Artisans around the Globe.
Produced in collaboration with our WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation) certified, fair trade partners Corr the Jute Works and Prokritee from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
As a small family business, we travel where possible to work side-by-side with our fair trade partners to create homewares which will add value and take pride of place in your homes. U-chus can track our production chain directly back to each individual worker. All our producer partners are paid a fair living wage and we are accountable as a member of the Fair Traders of Australia to ensure workers rights are maintained.
Our fair trade producer partners management organisations provide access to life changing opportunity for the disadvantaged and marginalised artisans living in rural village settings. Providing mostly women, people with disability and indigenous people in society an opportunity to supplement their marginal family income thereby contributing towards a better living standard for all.
Our homewares range uses an assortment of recycled fabrics, jute, seagrass, palm, terracotta clay based raw materials. All our items are not only good for the environment, they are also unique in construction and design.
Through our direct partnership relationship with our fair trade producer partners and the support of our customers we believe that you can choose to make a difference.
About Glennys
My name is Glennys Clarke, I am the owner of U-chus Fair Trade. Launched in late 2007, our business grew from a desire to create a different business model to the norm, I was introduced to the concept of Fair Trade and the enormous possibility for positive change it’s principals in action hold.
As a stay at home mother of two beautiful girls and as a wife of a man who was born in Bangladesh, I wanted to create a business I could be proud of, not just a vehicle for profit. Wanting to make a difference and to set an example for my family.
Armed with our passports in hand, my young family were first introduced to fair trade inspired Non Government organisations through our travels to Cambodia and Vietnam and India. So impressed and encouraged by the life changing opportunity our product orders were providing, our business grew from primarily a advocary fair trade party plan /market stall style business to a retail bricks and mortar store in 2010.
For 3 years our gorgeous store provided the good people of East Victoria Park in Perth, with an alternate range of lovingly unique hand created giftware and homewares. By this stage we were sourcing fair trade products from Africa, Bali, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, India and Vietnam.
As a business I felt assured that we were providing the support our fair trade artisan partners needed through frequent ordering however upon reflection in late 2013, I realised that my bricks and mortar store was taking up too much of my time physically away from my family. It was a time to re access my work life balance, so changes had to be made.
U-chus was put on ice, so to speak, it was back to the drawing board with my labour of love.
In early 2014, we were offered through our membership of the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand the opportunity to exhibit our fair trade wares as part of a new fair trade section to be introduced into the Melbourne Giftware and Homewares trade show hosted every August . The AGHA were listening to Retailers as to a desire to access ethically made fair trade giftware and homewares.
Along with 21 other fair traders, we exhibited our range and on the back of retailer supported product feedback and orders, we were encouraged to continue on our fair trade journey, however with a more brand focused commitment to creating products which are truly made in collaboration with our highly skilled producer partners.