Brenda – Osadia Concept Store
What do you make / sell? Tell us about yo’ self.
My name is Brenda Marmolejo and I was born and raised in Mexico. I am an engineer by day and an entrepreneur by night. I am passionate about topics like diversity, women’s rights and social justice and I am the founder of Osadia, a social enterprise where we curate products for an ethical lifestyle. All the products we carry have been ethically made and generate meaningful income to artisans and their communities.
How long have you had your business?
Less than a year, almost 12 months now! 😀
How did you get started?
When I moved to Calgary in 2014, I began to conceptualize the idea of having a business but I wanted to find a project that would reflect how I want to see the world and how I want to live. Coming from Mexico, I understand how millions of artisans in developing countries struggle to get access to international markets and this limits them to reach their full potential, so after months of brainstorming, I came up with the idea of creating an online platform to help artisans, designers and social enterprises to get exposure and scale their business.
Who or what inspires your work?
The stories about hard work, courage and resilience from many artisans around the word. Also the things I believe and care about, like social justice, defending the rights of the most vulnerable populations in the world and believing in changing the world for better through empowerment and kindness.
What do you dream for your business in the future?
Reinvest to create more opportunities for artisans and vulnerable communities around the world.
What’s your favourite social media platform and why?
I love social media, I don’t think I can pick only one! I love instagram because is a creative way to interact and communicate with friends, from twitter I like the character limit and I think is very diverse in content and opinions and I love Facebook because I can easily connect and share moments with family and friends that are very close or very far away.
How do you pick yourself up when things go wrong?
Hot chocolate or a glass of wine and hug from my husband usually works very well.
What’s one thing no one knows about you? Give us an interesting fact!
Well, this is more like a crazy fact: I try not to step on lines or cracks on the sidewalk and I hate when people don’t put their windshield wipers in the OFF position before exiting the car.
If you could have any super power what would it be?
Since I was a little kid, I wanted to explore the world, so flying would be very helpful, but teleportation would be even better! 😀
What are your social media handles? Please include links.
Where can we find your stuff?
We are an online ethical marketplace, you can visit us in https://www.osadia.ca