5 Faves Hispanic Heritage Month – Tradition, Craft, and Impact

Cuyana offers handbags, clothing, and accessories designed around its “fewer, better” philosophy, with an emphasis on quality, longevity, and thoughtful production. The company’s roots trace back to Ecuador, where co-founder Karla Gallardo worked with local artisans on its first collection using traditional toquilla straw weaving. That early collaboration helped shape a broader approach centered on long-term relationships with skilled makers and suppliers, many of whom bring specialized techniques and regional craftsmanship to Cuyana’s products. That connection to heritage craftsmanship remains part of the brand today through its Ecuador Hats and broader relationships with skilled makers and suppliers around the world. 

Sustainability is reflected across Cuyana’s materials, manufacturing standards, and efforts to extend product life. The company uses a range of third-party certifications across its supply chain, including Leather Working Group, OEKO-TEX, Responsible Wool Standard, SMETA, and WRAP. Its Lean Closet program, launched in 2013, adds a circular element by helping keep clothing and accessories in use through resale and donation. Pre-owned Cuyana pieces can be resold through Cuyana Revive, while donated items also support a free Lean Closet store operated with H.E.A.R.T. for women rebuilding their lives after abuse. 

Masienda was founded to bring heirloom corn from Mexico into more kitchens, starting with a small group of farmers in Oaxaca. Its work centers on masa, the dough made from specially prepared corn that forms the basis of foods like tortillas and tamales. Today, Masienda offers masa harina, tortillas, prepared foods, cookbooks, and kitchen tools used by professional chefs and home cooks alike, helping make traditional ingredients and techniques more accessible beyond restaurant kitchens. 

Masienda became a Certified B Corporation in 2025 and is collectively owned by its team in the U.S. and Mexico. Its annual sourcing reports provide transparency into a supply chain that has grown from 12 farming partners in Oaxaca to more than 2,000 farmers and artisans across seven Mexican states. The reports also highlight investments in local communities, long-term supplier relationships, and efforts to preserve the knowledge and traditions surrounding heirloom corn and masa. 

Paccari is an Ecuadorian chocolate company built around a tree-to-bar model, making its chocolate in Ecuador with cacao sourced directly from farms across the country. Keeping more of the production process close to where the cacao is grown helps retain more value within Ecuador while strengthening the connection between the finished product and the communities that produce its core ingredient. 

Paccari has been a Certified B Corporation since 2016 and works with more than 3,500 farming families. Its direct-trade model is paired with support for organic and biodynamic farming, agricultural training, and efforts to improve farmer incomes and long-term resilience. The company also emphasizes biodiversity, soil health, and reducing reliance on synthetic agricultural inputs, connecting its environmental practices closely to the landscapes and communities that make Ecuadorian cacao possible. 

Santos by Monica creates handbags and accessories with a focus on thoughtful design, small-batch production, and lower-impact materials. Founded by Puerto Rican designer Monica Santos Gil, the brand connects Latin American identity with a slower approach to fashion, producing in small batches and working close to the source of its materials. 

Material innovation is central to the company’s approach. Santos works with next-generation biomaterials including cactus-based Desserto and banana-fiber Banofi, along with TENCEL, lyocell, and organic cotton selected for performance, longevity, and lower environmental impact. Its cactus material is produced in Mexico from mature leaves harvested without destroying the plant, while production is kept close to material sources where possible, including cactus-biomaterial handbags in Mexico and banana-fiber accessories in India. The company also repurposes much of its production waste into smaller components and accessories. 

Descalza is a handcrafted clothing brand founded by Lisbeth Carolina Arias, who was born in El Salvador and raised in North Carolina. Her experience as an immigrant is closely tied to the company’s identity, including the idea of being de aquí y de allá, from here and from there. Descalza works with artisans in El Salvador and Guatemala and with seamstresses in North Carolina to create clothing that incorporates handwoven textiles, embroidery, indigo dyeing, and other traditional techniques. 

The company became a Certified B Corporation in 2023 and has built its model around preserving craft, supporting artisan livelihoods, and keeping textile skills in use across generations. Its Artela collection also gives gently used garments a second life by reworking them with artisan-made fabrics from Latin America, extending the life of existing clothing while incorporating materials and techniques tied to the communities Descalza works with.