Hilos y Colores is a family-run social enterprise operated by determined entrepreneurs and husband wife duo Faustino and Mercedes. The origins of the business began many years ago, when Faustino was only nine years old. His father had passed away, and although he was just a child, Faustino left home to find work that would allow him to support himself and his mother. He was soon welcomed into the workshop of a master weaver, who taught Faustino the art of the loom.

Following his apprenticeship, he married Mercedes–and the couple’s desire to preserve Peru’s artisanal heritage and improve the lives of their neighbors inspired them to establish their business. Working with natural fibers, Hilos y Colores provides work for women Artisans in rural areas throughout Ayacucho, while remaining steadfastly committed to caring for their local environment.

Peru is a South American country that is considered tropical, but is home to a huge diversity of climates, from mountains to shoreline to rainforest. It was once the site of the powerful Incan Empire, the largest civilization in Pre-Columbian America. The name Peru itself comes from a word meaning “land of abundance” in Quechua, the ancient language of the Inca people. Peru is home to the oldest university in the Americas—it has run continually since 1551.