Meet our Team
Posted by Nancy Lendved on Oct 20th 2023
"A single bracelet does not jingle."
- Congolese proverb
The team at Mbare is a microcosm of the wider world: We’re diverse, and often surprising. We span three continents. Robbie, our founder and fearless leader, was born in Zimbabwe, where much of his family still lives, and where many of the artists we support (and who support us), live and create.
Robbie’s wife, Maria, is from Uruguay. She’s instrumental to Mbare’s function, and her laugh is as melodious as the name of the city from which she hails: Montevideo.
The rest of us embody the notion of the American “melting pot.” Kara is a midwesterner who spent years in Tanzania, working with basket weavers from the tri-border region that includes Burundi and Rwanda. Shannon’s from Ohio, and like so many who come to Athens for a degree (or two), she never left (except for stints in the southwest, North Carolina, East Africa and Peru). Demetry’s been most everywhere; Alan and Bonnie are Southerners through and through. For good measure, throw in Nancy – a New York Jew – and you have our improbable, yet cohesive, crew!
Mbare has been at the forefront of fair-trade commerce for decades. We know what it takes to shepherd baskets meticulously crafted in the shade of Senegalese trees to cutting-edge shops in New York, San Francisco and even the UAE. There are unglamorous aspects, like stickering boxes with labels and barcodes, and wrangling with difficult software. It’s all part of the complicated process of getting charming and useful objects of integrity from villages a world away to homes, shops, museums and galleries around our globe.
It’s not always smooth sailing – ask any port operator or freight forwarder – but uplifting artists by nurturing their creativity and connecting them with our valued customers is a privilege. We’re cognizant of the role we play in one of the oldest, most important human endeavors – trade. We’re proud and grateful to be part of the global marketplace. And we’re continually reminded that work can be fulfilling and fun, and that – regardless of cultural, religious or linguistic differences – in so many ways, we are all one.
