The Tote Project
The Tote Project is a private, bootstrapped DTC and wholesale brand founded in 2013 that designs and sells fair trade, GOTS-certified organic cotton bags and accessories handmade in India, donating 10% of profits to anti-trafficking causes and shipping to the US, Canada, and Australia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersAsheville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What The Tote Project does
The Tote Project is a privately held LLC founded in 2013 that designs, manufactures, and sells fair trade, GOTS-certified organic cotton bags and accessories. The company operates primarily as a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business built on Shopify, with a secondary wholesale program supplying physical retailers such as Ten Thousand Villages locations and independent fair trade boutiques across the United States. All products are handmade in India at fair trade certified factories, where artisans are described as women who have transitioned out of exploitation or are at risk. The product portfolio spans tote bags ($45), pouches ($12-$28), cosmetic bags ($32), pencil pouches ($22), and laptop bags ($65-$115), totaling roughly 58 SKUs, with branded extensions including the Origins Collection and the limited-edition Dressember 2025 Tote.
The business distributes to three countries — the United States, Canada, and Australia — and accepts orders for $10, $10, $25, $50, and $100 virtual gift cards. Pricing is uniformly unit-based, with no subscription tier; free US ground shipping applies above $75 and clearance items carry an additional 35% off. The company is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with co-founders Fay A. Grant and Michelle Chavez recognized by U.S. Congress for their anti-trafficking work and featured in Oprah Daily's "Gifts That Give Back to Charity" list. All products carry an explicit 10% of-profits donation commitment to anti-trafficking causes, with the Origins Collection directing funds to Impactful Missions in Haiti and the Dressember tote tied to International Justice Mission.
Organizationally the company is a micro-business of 1-10 employees with offices listed in Long Beach and Tarzana, California, despite a registered Asheville city footprint. The proprietary or distinguishing components are limited to certified fair trade sourcing, original artwork by the co-founders and commissioned artist Eleonora Arosio, and a stack of third-party certifications (Fair Trade USA, Fairtrade America, Fair for Life, GOTS, Fair Trade Federation, World Fair Trade Organization). No external funding, no acquisitions, and no AI/ML technology stack are in evidence; revenue is not publicly disclosed.
The Tote Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Tote Project
- Legal name
- The Tote Project LLC
- Website
- https://thetoteproject.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Tote Project is a private, bootstrapped DTC and wholesale brand founded in 2013 that designs and sells fair trade, GOTS-certified organic cotton bags and accessories handmade in India, donating 10% of profits to anti-trafficking causes and shipping to the US, Canada, and Australia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Tote Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Handbags and Accessories
- NAICS
- Textile Bag and Canvas Mills (314910)
- SIC
- Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Paper Bags & Sacks (retail, industrial, multiwall) (IMAMAHAC)
Keywords
Where The Tote Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Asheville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Tote Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Direct Product Sales (E-commerce): Direct-to-consumer sales of fair trade organic cotton bags and accessories through their Shopify-powered website, with 10% of profits donated to anti-trafficking causes.
- Wholesale: Wholesale orders available for retailers and stockists interested in carrying The Tote Project products.
- Gift Cards: Virtual gift cards sold in denominations of $10, $25, $50, and $100, delivered by email with instructions to redeem at checkout.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tote Bags - $45.00 USD |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pouches - $12.00 to $28.00 USD |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cosmetic Bags - $32.00 USD |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pencil Pouches - $22.00 USD |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Laptop Bags - $65.00 to $115.00 USD |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Cards - $10 to $100 USD |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Dressember 2025 Tote - $20.00 USD |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Tote Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Tote Project designs and sells fair trade, organic cotton bags and accessories (totes, pouches, cosmetic bags, pencil pouches, laptop bags, and themed collections) handmade in India. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront alongside a wholesale program and a network of retail stockists, and donates 10% of its profits to anti-trafficking organizations.
Product overview
The Tote Project is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business offering a portfolio of handmade, fair trade, and GOTS certified organic cotton bags and accessories. The core product line consists of Tote Bags (the flagship category with 24+ designs including the 'Free to' series), Pouches (with upcycled sari fabric linings), Cosmetic Bags, Pencil Pouches, and Laptop Bags. Special offerings include the Dressember 2025 limited edition tote designed in partnership with International Justice Mission, and the Origins Collection featuring co-founder Fay A. Grant's original artwork. The company also sells curated bundles (Girl's Best Friend and Meow Meadow collections featuring Eleonora Arosio's artwork) and Gift Cards. All products donate 10% of profits to anti-trafficking initiatives and are manufactured in India through fair trade certified factories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Origins Collection: Classic totes reimagined to celebrate the company's origins and focus on trafficking prevention, with profits going to Impactful Missions for Haitian children.
- Dressember Collection
Products and services
- Tote Bags
- Pouches and Cosmetic Bags Smaller fair trade, organic cotton pouches and cosmetic bags handmade in India, designed for everyday carry and travel, and sold through the company's e-commerce site.
- Pencil Pouches Handmade fair trade, organic cotton pencil pouches, positioned as a smaller accessory SKU for students and everyday use.
- Laptop Bags Fair trade, organic cotton laptop bags handmade in India, providing a protective, ethically made carrying option for consumers.
- Origins Collection
- Dressember 2025 Tote A limited-edition fair trade tote created in connection with the Dressember anti-trafficking campaign, sold to support the brand's anti-trafficking mission.
- Bag and Accessory Bundles Curated bundles that package multiple bags, pouches, and accessories together for a combined price, sold through the brand's e-commerce site.
- Gift Cards Store gift cards offered in preset denominations, redeemable against any product on the company's e-commerce site, supporting gift purchases for the brand's consumer base.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $50k raised for survivor programs
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Tote Project
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Tote Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The Tote Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- International Justice MissionflagshipThe Tote Project collaborated with International Justice Mission to create the Dressember 2025 tote. The exclusive design features artwork joyfully illustrated by children living in freedom in the Philippines. The Tote Project supports IJM's mission to protect 500 million people from violence.
- Impactful Missionscore10% of profits from the Origins Collection are donated directly to Impactful Missions, which supports trafficking prevention through education and raises tomorrow's leaders in Haiti. Funds go to the Impact International Institute of Haiti.
- Fair Trade USAcoreFair trade certifying body that provides factory and fabric certifications, ensuring fair trade standards throughout The Tote Project's supply chain.
- Fairtrade AmericacoreFair trade certifying body that provides factory and fabric certifications, ensuring fair trade standards throughout The Tote Project's supply chain.
- Fair for LifecoreFair trade certification program that certifies The Tote Project's supply chain practices.
- Fair Trade FederationcoreMember organization that The Tote Project is affiliated with as part of their fair trade brand requirements.
- World Fair Trade OrganizationcoreMember organization that The Tote Project is affiliated with as part of their fair trade brand requirements.
- Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)coreCertification body that certifies The Tote Project's organic cotton as GOTS certified, ensuring environmental standards in manufacturing.
- Eleonora ArosiocoreArtist who designed the whimsical prints for the Girl's Best Friend and Meow Meadow collections (laptop bags, cosmetic bags, pencil pouches).
- Fay A. GrantcoreCo-founder of The Tote Project who creates original artwork designs featured on many products, including the Origins Collection.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Tote Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Baggu: Baggu is an established reusable-bag and accessories brand with broad DTC and retail distribution. It overlaps on tote bags and reusable fabric categories, but competes on price and design rather than a fair trade mission.
- Patagonia: Patagonia is the dominant sustainable apparel and bag brand with deep fair labor and environmental commitments. Comparable on ethical production values and bag category, but operates at vastly larger scale across apparel and gear.
- Cotopaxi: Cotopaxi is a much larger mission-driven outdoor brand selling bags, apparel, and gear with a poverty-focused impact model. Comparable brand narrative and bag category, but at a significantly larger scale and broader outdoor-lifestyle positioning.
Others
- Ten Thousand Villages: Ten Thousand Villages is a fair trade retail stockist network that already carries The Tote Project. It is not a direct competitor but is an important channel partner and ecosystem peer in the US fair trade retail market.
Direct peers
- Mata Traders: Mata Traders is a fair trade certified brand producing bags, clothing, and accessories handmade by women artisans in India and Nepal. Closely overlaps with The Tote Project's India-based fair trade cotton bag production and women's empowerment mission.
- ABLE: ABLE manufactures and sells ethically made bags, apparel, and accessories produced by women in its supply chain, with published living-wage commitments. It directly overlaps The Tote Project on fair trade / ethical bag manufacturing and women-focused social impact.
- Bomba Fair Trade: Bomba Fair Trade produces handcrafted bags and accessories in partnership with artisan cooperatives, sold through a mix of DTC e-commerce and a wholesale stockist network — a near-identical operating model to The Tote Project.
- FEED Projects: FEED Projects sells mission-driven bags and accessories with a donate-a-meal-style impact model (e.g., FEED 1 bag = X meals donated). It is the closest analog to The Tote Project's social-mission-bag model, though at a larger scale and broader product set.
- Sseko Designs: Sseko Designs makes handcrafted bags, sandals, and accessories made by women artisans in Uganda and Ethiopia, with a mission to use fashion to fight poverty. Comparable mission-and-bag overlap, with a similarly small-team DTC and wholesale mix.
- Raven + Lily: Raven + Lily is a fair trade accessories and apparel brand working with women artisan cooperatives, with bags as a core category. Comparable on ethical production, women-focused mission, and DTC + wholesale go-to-market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Tote Project social profiles
Digital presenceThe Tote Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Tote Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Tote Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Tote Project M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Tote Project
What does The Tote Project do?
The Tote Project designs and sells fair trade, organic cotton bags and accessories (totes, pouches, cosmetic bags, pencil pouches, laptop bags, and themed collections) handmade in India. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront alongside a wholesale program and a network of retail stockists, and donates 10% of its profits to anti-trafficking organizations.
Is The Tote Project a public or private company?
The Tote Project is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Tote Project founded?
The Tote Project was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Tote Project based?
The Tote Project is headquartered in Asheville, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Tote Project make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Direct Product Sales (E-commerce) is the primary driver. The others are wholesale and gift Cards.
Who are The Tote Project's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Baggu, Patagonia and Cotopaxi. Ten Thousand Villages is listed as an others. Direct peers are Mata Traders, ABLE, Bomba Fair Trade, FEED Projects, Sseko Designs and Raven + Lily.
Does The Tote Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Tote Project.
What industry is The Tote Project in?
The Tote Project's product category is Handbags and Accessories. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAMAHAC, Paper Bags & Sacks (retail, industrial, multiwall). Its NAICS code is 314910 and its SIC code is 2300.