Novica is an
e-commerce website that enables artisans to sell their
handcrafted goods to customers worldwide. Partnered with the
National Geographic Society, Novica shows handcrafted works of art, ranging from handmade jewelry to handmade apparel and world-style home decor.
History
The idea behind Novica came to a group of co-founders at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
in 1995 who collectively felt there must be a better way for artisans in developing nations to sell their goods to customers around the world.
In 1995, Roberto Milk, went to Mina Olivera and her mother, Armenia Nercessian de Oliveira, a human rights officer with the United Nations Commission on Human Rights who was later featured in Elizabeth Gilbert’s novel Eat, Pray, Love. and together, they came up with the plan behind Novica, along with Milk’s brother, Andy Milk, childhood friend Charles Hachtmann, Stanford roommate Jose Cervantes.
In 1999, supported by Michael Burns and other seed investors, they took up an office in Santa Monica, CA and launched the NOVICA.com website.
By the end of 1999, they opened their first six regional centers located in Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand and Ghana.
Merchandise
Most products are based in specific cultures and traditions. Artisans make items that are familiar to them and oftentimes, the tradition has been passed down from generation to generation.
[ Lee Romney, Los Angeles Times. June 14, 2000. Retrieved May 4 2018]
Business advisory services
In 2009, Novica began working with the
Grassroots Business Fund, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, with a mission to build and support enterprises that provide economic opportunities to people at the base of the economic pyramid.
References
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External links
Novica
Online marketplaces of the United States