What makes it fair?

Pilgrim Imports originated over 24 years ago in a village outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. You would barely guess that two decades ago this was a chronically poor area; families accustomed to closeness were commonly forced to separate for survival as children went to work in Bangkok's factories and tourist trades. Traditional village life deteriorated in the face of poverty.

Now, over 400 neighbors in this rural land work together to produce the art pieces Pilgrim buyers and customers love. They are able to remain in their homeland and utilize traditional metalworking skills. Pilgrim continues to draw ever more members into its extended family. Just this year, two new master craftsmen and their families came on board, bringing the total of master artisans to fifteen.

Besides generally improving quality of life for hundreds, the work Pilgrim offers set other improvements in motion. For instance, the village's local grade school received a paved road, computers and clean drinking water. The Thai Department of Education cited this once destitute place of learning as a model for rural schooling. More importantly, these Thai people are proud to preserve their village traditions and happy to be close to each other.