There is an Angel Factory in the Karoo

These stunning little Karoo Angels come from heart of the Little Karoo in South Africa, where the angel production is shared by two crafting groups in two separate communities within a remote region of the Baavianskloof in South Africa's Eastern Cape   village of vondling

What began in 2006 as an income generating project with Vondeling Optel Craft Co-op in a remote settlement, has blossomed into a successful little business that sees the beautiful handmade angels they create travel beyond the borders of South Africa to many corners of the globe. 

Prior to the creation of the crafting cooperatives, the residents of Vondeling relied on food stamps and income assistance to survive in a location that allow little opportunity for employment.  In 2015, upon observing the continued success of the Karoo Angels and the benefits it had provided to the residents of Vondeling, a keen and ambitious group of crafters from the equally remote community of Rietbron approach them about becoming a part of the team.  Both cooperatives are small, employing less than 10 crafters full time, however, during busy times of the year, additional members of the community also become involved.  In the case of Vondeling, a community of only 29 families, the entire community plays a part.

 

 

While both cooperatives contribute to the Karoo Angel product line, each one makes only specific angels that are relevant to their community.  Not only are the angels beautiful and elegant, but almost all styles are given a name which always has a meaning, but also means something to them, resulting in many of the angels being named after the crafters themselves.

 

               

 

Until recently, MisHMasH has been marketing and selling the angels as Christmas decorations, and while most of the angels still fall within that category, the Karoo Angel team has recently begun to branch out a bit from their core group of angels and have developed a few new product lines intended specifically for year round use.  The Guardian Angels, and the stunning little Juweel Angel necklaces are two such product lines. 

This is only part of the amazing little story about the inspirational people behind the awesome little company.  We highly encourage you to jump over to the Karoo Angel website and continue to explore. 

MisHMasH is the wholesale representative for Karoo Angels both in Canada and USA.  Please refer to Wholesale Inquires for additional information.

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