This hand-woven bowl comes from the Finnish label Mifuko. As usual, a natural material is used here too: Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum), which we also know in Europe as Uganda or Napier grass and which can be found as ornamental grass in many gardens. The grass is native to the African continent, where it is cultivated as forage grass. Incidentally, it is called elephant grass for a reason: it is one of the preferred foods of elephants. The grass is particularly suitable as a weaving material because it is robust and flexible at the same time. The bowl is correspondingly durable and lightweight, making it suitable for a variety of uses, such as on the dining table for fruit or decoration and also as a floor bowl. With a diameter of 33 centimetres, it offers enough space to store various everyday items, for example your current knitting project including wool and knitting needles, magazines, toys or even as a large video box on the hallway dresser for small items. In the bathroom, it keeps care products, small towels or the hairdryer within easy reach.

The elephant grass for this bowl grows in Ghana, where it is also processed. After harvesting, the stalks are dried, cut in half and the halves twisted together to make them even more flexible. Ghanaian craftswomen then weave the grass into shape according to all the rules of the art of basket making. Incidentally, basket weaving is one of the oldest craft techniques known to mankind; according to archaeological finds, it predates pottery. The oldest evidence of wickerwork dates back to the Neolithic period: it is estimated to be up to 12,000 years old. You can tell who wove your mifuko basket in our time by the attached sign, where the women sign their names.

Kenyan tradition and craftsmanship characterize the designs of the Finnish label Mifuko. The long-standing connection with Kenya enabled the two designers Minna Impiö and Mari Martikainen to start a cooperation with Kenyan craftswomen in 2009 so that the products could also be manufactured in Kenya. Mifuko now works with around 400 women, not only in Kenya, but also in Tanzania, Ethiopia and Ghana. They live mainly in rural areas and work primarily in agriculture. In the dry season, they weave carpets, weave baskets or bags, make jewelry and many other decorative items. Fair payment and long-term business relationships are just as important as the skills and traditional manufacturing techniques are taken into account when designing the products. This gives the women the opportunity to expand their knowledge and pass it on to younger women. They can build up their own network and are ultimately able to earn an additional income, as the women and their families primarily work in agriculture. Only when their own fields have been cultivated and the animals cared for do they produce for Mifuko, thus earning an additional income that often saves them during the drought.

Mifuko is a member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO). On the one hand, this implies the permanent implementation and monitoring of fair trade and fair pay, and on the other hand, care is taken to ensure that the natural habitat is affected as little as possible during the manufacture of the products and that occupational safety is guaranteed. In addition, Minna Impiö and Mari Martikainen finance projects that improve the lives of the workers and their families, such as the construction of sanitary facilities.

Certain manufacturing steps are carried out by hand. Slight dimensional and color deviations may therefore occur.