Instituto Asta
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Mission Statement
Contribute to the reduction of Brazilian social inequality by strengthening productive enterprises at the base of the pyramid through access to markets, knowledge and the creation of networks. Our vision is to make consumption a tool for social and economic inclusion. We work by strengthening community productive groups of handicrafts and textiles formed by women (young and adult), creating networks to market their products and providing training so that their businesses can grow.
About This Cause
The Asta Institute was founded in 2005 by Alice Freitas and Rachel Schettino when they decided to give up their careers in large corporations, imbued with a huge desire to generate impact and act in some way, to reduce social inequalities in Brazil. They began at age 27 by joining a group of 30 women artisans from a recycling cooperative in Campo Grande so that together they could improve the results of the productive group. Since then, Alice and Rachel understood that the path they followed was to complement what they knew what the artisans did not know and to generate the knowledge to build viable craft businesses. We were born in a cooperative of collectors and throughout our history the reuse of waste was a constant, as well as conquering markets for the artisans, one of the biggest challenges of all of them. In 2007 we launched our first innovation, the first direct sales network of handcrafted products in Brazil. The Network integrated 40 productive groups and generated over R$ 1 million for them. Four years later, the model proved to be unfeasible and we began to work with other sales channels and strengthen our product design support for the groups we worked with. We had two physical stores, online sales, corporate sales (which still exists), we exported, resell to stores, experience and know in depth all kinds of possible market for handicrafts. We had the opportunity to work with more than 1,500 artisans from 120 productive groups and to know in depth their realities, difficulties, strengths and dreams. We adapt so that we can offer them the best experiences, tools, training and possible markets. Innovation and adaptation are features of Asta. Our mission is to contribute to the reduction of Brazilian social inequality through the empowerment of women artisans, conducting training, forming networks and access to increase their income. The social objectives according to our statute are: I. To promote Social Assistance and all related actions; II. the reduction of Brazilian social and economic inequality through sustainable human, social, environmental and economic development, the fight against poverty III. Contribute to improving the living conditions of people excluded from the formal labor market through non-profit experimentation of new socio-productive models and alternative systems of production, trade, employment and credit; IV. Promote and foster fair trade and solidarity economy practices; V. To promote culture through the valorization of customs and regional handicrafts installed in communities, organized or not, of the country. We are currently divided into two areas: Impact and Business. The impact area touches the Asta Platform, the partnerships with sponsors to develop new artisan communities and the monitoring of the impact. The business area offers upcycling solutions for corporate waste making them into new products that are purchased by companies. We have headquarters in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and we have a team of 20 employees who carry out the necessary training visits to the artisanal productive groups. We have partnerships with several companies and foundations. Alice Freitas is a fellow Ashoka and fellow WomenChangeMaker. One of the most important projects we carried out was the Coca-Cola Institute, which lasted 4 years. With this investment, we had the opportunity to work with 25 productive groups (230 artisans) located in Curitiba, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the Amazon. The project consisted of creating collections with top designers and supported groups, creating catalogs and generating income for the groups through the sale of products, which used PET bottle after consumption as main raw material. The project generated more than R$ 800 thousands in income for the artisans. In this process we understood that it was necessary to go beyond product improvement, design and sales channels, it was necessary to support them so that they could act as true entrepreneurs and be able to grow their businesses without Asta and without the Coca-Cola Institute. This project leveraged what we call today the Business School of Artisans available through classroom and online courses. We have received the following awards throughout our history: Successful Entrepreneur, Small Business Large Business Magazine, Visionaris, UBS Bank, Social Entrepreneur Sheet, FINEP Social Innovation, Brazil Creative Ministry of Culture, UNDP Social Business Reference for Report of 2016.