Our Story
Born from two worlds.
Built for one purpose.
Ecuador gave us the materials. The world gave us the vision. Urkaya is the bridge between them.
“Urkaya” comes from the Kichwa word for mountain. It is not a metaphor — it is a declaration of origin. Everything we make, everything we sell, begins in the Andes and the Amazon basin of Ecuador: a country of extraordinary natural wealth and some of the world's most skilled hands.
We founded Urkaya because we believed that the tagua nut deserved better than a discount souvenir table. That guayusa deserved better than obscurity. That the weavers of Otavalo and the carvers of Montecristi deserved global markets, not just local ones.
This is a brand built from the inside out — starting with the material, the artisan, and the community. Design comes last. But it is never an afterthought.
Our Mission
To give Ecuador's finest craft its rightful place in the world.
We connect Ecuadorian artisan communities with conscious consumers and responsible retailers worldwide. We do this by upholding three non-negotiables: authentic materials, fair relationships, and design that respects its origins.
Meet the artisans →What We Stand For
Four principles. No exceptions.
Origin above all
Every product begins with a place and a person. We never outsource to lower-cost producers, never approximate with similar materials, never substitute the authentic with the convenient. If it is not from Ecuador, it is not Urkaya.
Craft as culture
Technique is not just skill — it is identity. We work with artisans whose knowledge has been passed down through generations, and we never reduce their work to a cost line on a spreadsheet. The craft is the product. The craft is the brand.
Design with restraint
We add only what serves the material. The tagua nut does not need embellishment. The guayusa leaf does not need artificial flavouring. The woven poncho does not need a logo across its back. Our role is to reveal, not to reinvent.
Trade as partnership
Every commercial relationship we form — with artisans, with importers, with retailers — is built on transparency, fair pricing, and mutual long-term benefit. We do not have suppliers. We have partners.
The People Behind the Pieces
Every hand that shapes Urkaya has a name.
We do not source from anonymous suppliers. We work with partners — skilled craftspeople whose expertise, communities, and livelihoods are inseparable from every product we sell.
Meet the Artisans