Yewo

YEWO, pronounced ‘yay whoa’, is a jewelry brand employing makers in the rural Manchewe village of Malawi. Nestled in the northern mountains of Malawi, the solar powered, carbon neutral, and off-the-grid jewelry workshop is where nearly a dozen YEWO employees hand construct each small batch of elegant, modern earrings, necklaces and bracelets with both innovative and traditional techniques. YEWO’s jewelry line is made with locally and responsibly sourced raw materials from Malawi like recycled brass and teak wood. YEWO’s design studio sits stateside in Asheville, NC where owners Maddy and Kyle meticulously design each piece and travel to Malawi for five months a year to train their makers in the art of metalsmithing. YEWO responsibly manufactures their jewelry to fair trade standards, invests in the local community, and trains and employs makers who were previously living in rural poverty. Each YEWO employee receives 21 days of paid time off per year (plus holidays), individual health insurance, two healthy meals per day, access to micro loans, and a guaranteed reliable well paid salary that is 2-3 times higher than the national average. YEWO is a women-owned company and all YEWO employees work in safe, healthy working conditions.