Nepal’s premier craft organization, Association for Craft Producers (ACP) has been successfully balancing its social obligations and business priorities since its establishment in 1984. ACP is proud to define itself as a socially oriented, commercially viable enterprise.

Association for Craft Producers is a local not for profit Fair Trade handicraft organization. It operates under a 11-member Executive Board out of which 8 are women. ACP has 50 full time administrative staff and 30 in house producers. ACP works with more than 500 producers who are either homebased or work in groups. ACP works with 30 producer groups. Directly and indirectly, ACP benefits 3000 people

The headquarters or the resource center is a permanent facility of 43,000 sq.ft. based in Rabi Bhawan, Kathmandu. The major activities at the resource center are the procurement, processing and distribution of raw materials and semi-finished goods, development of new products and customized prototypes, quality checking and finishing.

The facility also houses Nepali Craft Trading Pvt. Ltd., the sister concern of ACP through which it exports. Since ACP is an NGO, it is not allowed to export directly. The staff and in house producers come to the headquarters every day. Most of the production is done at the producers’ homes or workshops. ACP also runs a retail store, Dhukuti is a 3 story building in a rented space of 3,000 sq. ft.

Ms. Meera Bhattarai founded ACP to socially and economically empower low-income artisans primarily women. Often, craft producers of Nepal come from economically and socially deprived backgrounds. They lacked say in the family which usually stemmed from the fact that they were not contributing to the overall money basket of the family. Although the women possessed basic skills, neither were their skills or products adequately recognized nor did they receive moral and technical support. They were largely ignorant of raw material quality, efficiency, costing, marketing, consumer tastes and preferences. They lacked the capital required for their handwork. There was an immediate need to address the vulnerability of women craft artisans to promote their socio-economic status. Ms. Bhattarai realized that mere training was not sufficient. There was a need of an organization that would provide integrated support to the craft workers as well as be self-sufficient. As a result, ACP was founded.

“When women have money, they have a say in the family – and their voice is heard. She gains confidence and respect. That’s in real sense Economic Empowerment.”

From the inception, ACP adhered to values of fairness and long-term sustainability. At the core of the operations is the economic empowerment, social development and capacity building of low-income artisans that would improve the quality of lives. ACP adopted the alternative way of doing business that put people before profit which was termed as Fair Trade. ACP is one of the pioneers of Fair Trade in Nepal and is also the founder Chair of Fair Trade Group (FTG) Nepal, the national network of Fair Trade. ACP is actively involved in advocating and promoting Fair Trade. It strictly adheres to the Fair Trade principles.

ACP is the member of World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), the global Fair Trade network since 1993. The status upgraded to Guaranteed Membership since 2013. ACP is also the Founder Member of WFTO Asia.