Contact Darla

Nearly ten years have now passed since the day I walked into Swahili Imports as a new employee, and I still love coming to work every day.

 

The beautiful thing about this company is its constant regeneration. Every six months we get to fall in love with an amazing new collection of samples dreamed up by Leslie, Percy and the many producers across Africa we've worked with for more than a decade, most of whom have become close friends over the years.

 

Every year or so we meet a new nation, as African development organizations graciously open doors into places we've not yet ventured. From the company's early days in Kenya, through its journey out to Ghana and South Africa, and eventually to our introductions to Mozambique, Mali, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Senegal, Sudan and Tanzania, Swahili Imports has tirelessly occupied the past 15 years meeting artisans, craft cooperatives and upscale African boutiques in pursuit of products our buyers will love. Our hope with each product development trip is to continue creating success stories by establishing or reaffirming an evolving partnership with individual artisans and large craft groups.

So many facets of Swahili life make us a truly unconventional company. We operate almost entirely by our hearts. Rarely crunching numbers or buying into trends, we go where our imagination and hundreds of incredibly creative African artisans take us. Sure, we've had a few dead-end ideas along the way, but our customers know to expect the unexpected--sometimes we strike gold!

 

When I'm not working I enjoy spending time with my husband and sons in the wilds of Oregon. I also enjoy singing and cycling.