Ayacucho, Peru

Partners since 2014

About

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.

  • Ayacucho, Peru

    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.

Flourishing World Initiative Grant Recipient

  • In 2020, a COVID relief grant from Noonday provided food to ensure that Artisans and their families didn’t have to go to bed hungry.
  • Part of our COVID relief grant went toward providing warm coats to Artisans who needed them in the mountains of rural Peru.
  • Through capacity building investments, we have helped equip Hilos y Colores to not just meet the immediate needs of their Artisans, but to build a sustainable business with a long - term impact.
  • When Faustino, one of the founders of Hilos y Colores, fell ill, Noonday helped fund a medical evacuation from the mountains to a hospital in Lima, where he received life - saving care.

Artisan Story

  • Mercedes
    Mercedes grew up living with her grandmother, who taught her the value of culture, traditions, and hard work. During adolescence, she was already embroidering beautiful decorative tablecloths. Her upbringing instilled in her a desire to help preserve artisan crafts. Today, Mercedes has vast experience in embroidery and weaving techniques – and is passing that experience on. Her biggest dream is to teach and continue creating new handmade products in spired by the Andean worldview in order to impact even more families in Peru.

In the making…