Cross-continental collaboration brings Ghanaian craftsmanship to Finnish homes

Ghanaian basket and bags producer Hodie-Mae has collaborated with Finnish design company Mifuko over three years. The collaboration has strengthened financial independence of multiple women locally while introducing unique handmade design baskets in the Finnish market and globally.

The Finnish design company Mifuko Oy bases its business concept on empowering women. The company collaborates with companies in Kenya, Tanzania and Ghana that employ female artisans. All handmade, Mifuko imports baskets, bags and design products that combine Scandinavian design with traditional African handicrafts.

To develop its business in Ghana, Mifuko has utilised Finnpartnership’s financial grant for example for finding local business partners and training the artisans. Its collaboration with Hodie-Mae started in 2023, initially from just a few orders. However, the number of orders has grown considerably over time, with current orders around 400 baskets.

Founder of Mifuko, Minna Impiö hopes for the collaboration to grow, with more Ghanaian artisans joining in the future. “The collaboration with Hodie-Mae has worked extremely well. Together, we have been able to improve product quality, develop new designs and increase production capacity,” Impiö tells.

Providing income opportunities while preserving cultural traditions

Hodie-Mae works primarily with female artisans and weavers, many of whom are mothers and spend most of their time taking care of family members. According to Co-founder and General Manager SaCut Denis Amenga-Etego, the collaboration with Mifuko has strengthened financial independence of the women who can use the income for example to pay the school fees of their families. “The work has also helped keeping traditional basket-weaving skills alive within the communities,” Amenga-Etego explains.

The baskets are handmade from elephant grass that grows wildly on its own in Ghana and can be harvested throughout the year. Producing high-quality baskets requires specialised knowledge, from harvesting and drying the grass to preparing it for weaving.

Hodie-Mae’s master weaver sources the elephant grass and coordinates the production across artisan groups. Before weaving begins, the grass is carefully processed and separated into different thicknesses to suit various basket designs.

For Mifuko, Hodie-Mae produces baskets specifically designed for European customers. Completing a single order typically takes around three months and involves dozens of artisans. “In the future, it would also be great to introduce colours to the products and experiment with new natural materials available in Ghana,” Impiö says.

Fairtrade principles guide the operations

Together with Hodie-Mae, Mifuko has provided training for the weavers on mathematics and the specific requirements related to the European market. “This has been useful for the quality of the baskets and fulfilling the orders,” Amenga-Etego tells.

“Although we have not yet had the opportunity to visit Hodie-Mae’s premises in person, we have supported them remotely, for example, with the application process for the World Fairtrade certificate. They are now a Fairtrade member organisation. It is important to us that our partners adhere to the same operating principles as Mifuko,” Impiö emphasises.