Out of Africa
The founder of KAZURI, Lady Susan Wood (1918-2005) established KAZURI in 1975 with two local women as a small pottery in her backyard. She taught them how to create jewelry from clay, shape and glaze every bead and to develop them into unique pieces of jewelry so they could sell them and earn their own income. The company developed more and more and In 2000, Mark and Regina Newman continued the work from Susan Wood as she was becoming of age. They took over KAZURI. They valued the same mission as Susan Wood: To provide and sustain employment opportunities for disadvanved members of the Kenyan society. To reach this, they focussed also on export of the beautiful KAZURI beads and jewelry. The clay where the beads are made from, originates from the area near Mount Kenya, making it an authentic piece of jewelry from Kenya.
Today, KAZURI has developed with the same values in mind. The workshop is located on the grounds of the estate of the late Karen von Blixen, known from the classic movie “Out of Africa”. The workshop is a place where the women work, socialize and sing together. These days, nearly 350 women are employed by Kazuri, mostly single mothers.
Kazuri is certificied by the WFTO as Fair Trade. As long as you wear this unique piece of jewelry, you’re supporting this principle of fair trade and you help the women of Kazuri towards a better life and hope for the future.
Kazuri means “small and beautifull” in Swahili, the local language of Kenya.