This fun penguin gourd ornament will hang from your tree for a lifetime. From a fair trade program in Peru, an artist named Tito Medina handcrafts each of these dried gourds, called mates, through carving and pyroengraving (burning) into the sincere animal ornaments. (Our favorite part is the cute engraved feet on the underside.) Through this craftsmanship, traditions of the east Andes are conveyed to the next generation and also promotes gourd carving as fine art.

Poco a Poco, the fair trade importer, has been working with Tito for more than 13 yeas and has seen his talents and business grow over the years. They have invited Tito to the United States to teach classes in Berkley. Since those first classes, Tito has returned to the USA several time to teach and give demonstrations at the Folsom Gourd Fair, Fallbrook Gourd Fair, National Gourd Society Fair, the San Diego Zoo, and the Santa Fe Museum of International Folk Art.

Your fair trade purchase provides your family with a beautiful gourd ornament and also provides a fair wage to an individual who strives to promote and preserve a piece of Peruvian culture.