Manos del Uruguay
Manos del Uruguay is a 1968-founded Uruguayan women artisan cooperative producing handcrafted luxury apparel, accessories, mate essentials, and 17 hand-dyed yarn lines, sold worldwide via its DTC e-commerce site and an exclusive distributor network across 17 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1968
- HeadquartersMontevideo, Uruguay
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Manos del Uruguay does
Manos del Uruguay is a private, non-profit artisan cooperative founded in 1968 and headquartered in Montevideo, Uruguay, that produces handcrafted luxury textile goods through a network of women artisan cooperatives in Uruguay's countryside. The company employs 251–500 people and operates across four core product lines: apparel (ponchos, sweaters, cardigans, shawls and scarves, including the signature Huella Collection), accessories (handbags, jewelry, scarves, toiletry bags, wallets, caps), Uruguayan mate essentials (mates, bombillas, flasks, materas, yerba containers), and homeware (arts and crafts, aprons), plus a yarn business of 17 distinct hand-dyed yarn lines spanning merino, alpaca, silk, mohair, and linen fibers, accompanied by branded knitting patterns.
The core technology is handcraft: traditional weaving and knitting techniques paired with artisanal hand-dyeing that produces unique tonal color variations across more than 100 colorways. Products are priced at a premium tier, with apparel ranging from roughly $125 to $350, accessories from $38 to $220, and mate accessories from $44 to $135, supported by WFTO fair-trade certification that anchors the ethical-production narrative.
The business model combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce at manos.uy (offering $30 flat-rate worldwide shipping) with a wholesale channel that relies on exclusive and non-exclusive distributors in 17 countries: Estelle Designs (Canada), Universal Yarn (USA), Selected Yarns (Germany/Benelux/France/Scandinavia), Rooster Yarns (UK/Ireland), Morris & Sons (Australia), Annknitting (Korea), MOORIT (Japan), and Knitting Labs (Portugal). Customer segments span luxury individual consumers seeking ethically produced artisan goods and B2B wholesale buyers (yarn retailers and distributors), with secondary demand from consumers of authentic Uruguayan mate culture. Marketing is conducted primarily through organic social (Instagram, Facebook) and a brand blog, with no paid acquisition infrastructure evidenced in the data.
Manos del Uruguay firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Manos del Uruguay
- Legal name
- Manos del Uruguay
- Website
- https://manos.uy
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1968
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Manos del Uruguay is a 1968-founded Uruguayan women artisan cooperative producing handcrafted luxury apparel, accessories, mate essentials, and 17 hand-dyed yarn lines, sold worldwide via its DTC e-commerce site and an exclusive distributor network across 17 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Manos del Uruguay industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Handcrafted Artisan Textiles and Yarn
- NAICS
- Apparel Manufacturing (315), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159), Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing (339910)
- SIC
- Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Costume Jewelry & Novelties (3960)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wallets, Small Leather Goods & Accessories Manufacturing (IMAOAHAB)
Keywords
Where Manos del Uruguay is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montevideo
- HQ country
- Uruguay
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Manos del Uruguay business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct E-commerce Sales: Retail sales of handcrafted apparel, accessories, homeware, and yarns through company-owned e-commerce website manos.uy
- Wholesale Distribution: B2B sales through exclusive and non-exclusive distributors worldwide including yarn distributors and retail partners
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Apparel products including ponchos, shawls, and sweaters |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Accessories including handbags, jewelry, wallets, and caps |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Yarn products by weight and fiber type |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Uruguayan mate accessories including mates, bombillas, and materas |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Manos del Uruguay product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Manos del Uruguay designs, produces, and sells handcrafted artisan apparel, accessories, Uruguayan mate essentials, homeware, and hand-dyed yarns. Products are made by women artisans organized in cooperatives across Uruguay's countryside using traditional weaving and knitting techniques with natural fibers. The company distributes its products globally through its own e-commerce site and an international network of exclusive and non-exclusive wholesale distributors.
Product overview
Manos del Uruguay is a fair trade cooperative organization established in 1968 that produces handcrafted luxury goods. The offering consists of four main product lines: (1) Apparel including Sweaters, Cardigans, Ponchos, Shawls and Scarves; (2) Accessories including Handbags, Jewelry, Toiletry Bags, Wallets, and Caps; (3) Uruguayan Essentials featuring traditional mate drinking items including Mates, Bombillas, Flasks, Materas, and Yerba Containers; (4) Homeware including Arts and Crafts and Aprons; and (5) Yarns including 17 distinct yarn lines (Alegria, Alegria Grande, Alpaca Heather, Bambok, Cabrito, Cardo, Fino, Fino Miniskeins, Franca, Ideal, Marina, Marla, Maxima, Milo, Sami, Silk Blend) plus Patterns. The yarns are hand-dyed by women artisans in cooperatives across Uruguay's countryside and distributed globally through exclusive distributors in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company also operates an e-commerce platform and physical retail stores.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Huella Collection A signature collection of handcrafted ponchos, wraps, and shawls made from artisan yarn using the distinctive Huella pattern technique, targeted at fashion-conscious consumers.
- Sweaters and Cardigans Handcrafted knit sweaters and cardigans made from artisan-quality yarns for consumers seeking premium knitwear.
- Ponchos Traditional and contemporary handwoven ponchos in various colors and patterns, sold to individual consumers through the e-commerce site.
- Shawls and Scarves Handcrafted shawls and scarves made from artisan yarns for individual fashion consumers.
- Handbags Handcrafted leather handbags and totes for individual consumers.
- Jewelry Handcrafted jewelry items for individual consumers.
- Wallets Handcrafted leather wallets for individual consumers.
- Caps Handcrafted leather caps for individual consumers.
- Toiletry Bags Handcrafted leather toiletry bags for individual consumers.
- Mates (Mate Cups) Traditional Uruguayan mate cups and sets for consumers of Uruguayan cultural products.
- Bombillas Traditional metal drinking straws for mate consumption.
- Flask Handcrafted leather flasks for beverages.
- Matera Traditional mate accessory kits including leather materas.
- Yerba Container Handcrafted leather containers for storing yerba mate.
- Arts and Crafts Decorative crafts and felted homeware items for individual consumers.
- Aprons Handcrafted aprons for individual consumers.
- Alegria Yarn Hand-dyed sock-weight yarn blend sold to knitters and craft retailers worldwide.
- Alegria Grande Yarn Hand-dyed worsted-weight yarn for quick projects and accessories.
- Alpaca Heather Yarn Hand-dyed alpaca/wool blend yarn in heathered and tonal colorways.
- Cabrito Yarn Hand-dyed kid mohair blend yarn for lace and accessories.
- Cardo Yarn Hand-dyed chunky Uruguayan Corriedale wool yarn.
- Fino Yarn Hand-dyed merino and silk fingering-weight yarn.
- Fino Miniskeins Hand-dyed miniskein sets of merino/silk yarn for colorwork projects.
- Franca Yarn Hand-dyed super chunky merino yarn for accessories.
- Marina Yarn Hand-dyed laceweight merino yarn.
- Marla Yarn Hand-dyed marled yarn combining two multi-color twists.
- Maxima Yarn Hand-dyed worsted-weight merino yarn.
- Milo Yarn Hand-dyed merino and linen blend yarn.
- Bambok Yarn Hand-dyed yarn in multiple colors.
- Ideal Yarn Hand-dyed yarn in multiple colors.
- Sami Yarn Hand-dyed yarn in multiple colors.
- Silk Blend Yarn Hand-dyed silk blend yarn.
- Knitting Patterns Knitting patterns designed for Manos del Uruguay yarns, sold to individual knitters and craft retailers.
- Wholesale Distribution Network B2B wholesale distribution of Manos del Uruguay yarns and products to retailers and yarn shops across 8+ countries through exclusive and non-exclusive distributor agreements.
Quantifiable outcome
- Sustainable employment for women artisans in Uruguayan countryside cooperatives
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Manos del Uruguay
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Manos del Uruguay technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Manos del Uruguay partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ESTELLE DESIGNScoreExclusive distributor for Manos del Uruguay products in Canada. Contact: 1-800-387-5167 / [email protected]
- UNIVERSAL YARN, LTDcoreDistributor for Manos del Uruguay products in USA. Contact: 704-789-9276 / [email protected]
- Selected YarnscoreExclusive distributor for Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Austria. Contact: 038722/227 22 / [email protected]
- Rooster YarnscoreExclusive distributor for England, Scotland, Wales, and Eire (UK/Ireland). Contact: 44 (0)1829 740903 / [email protected]
- Morris & SonscoreExclusive distributor for Manos del Uruguay products in Australia. Contact: 1800222155 / [email protected]
- MOORITminorDistributor for Manos del Uruguay products in Japan. Contact: 813 5491 3585 / www.moorit.jp
- Annknitting Co.coreExclusive distributor for Manos del Uruguay products in Korea. Contact: +82-31-771-6877 / [email protected]
- Knitting LabsminorDistributor for Manos del Uruguay products in Portugal. Contact: 351 917 281 659 / [email protected]
Scale indicators3 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Manos del Uruguay competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Manos del Uruguay social profiles
Digital presenceManos del Uruguay compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Manos del Uruguay financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Manos del Uruguay leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Manos del Uruguay funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Manos del Uruguay 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 Manos del Uruguay
What does Manos del Uruguay do?
Manos del Uruguay designs, produces, and sells handcrafted artisan apparel, accessories, Uruguayan mate essentials, homeware, and hand-dyed yarns. Products are made by women artisans organized in cooperatives across Uruguay's countryside using traditional weaving and knitting techniques with natural fibers. The company distributes its products globally through its own e-commerce site and an international network of exclusive and non-exclusive wholesale distributors.
Is Manos del Uruguay a public or private company?
Manos del Uruguay is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Manos del Uruguay founded?
Manos del Uruguay was founded in 1968. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Manos del Uruguay based?
Manos del Uruguay is headquartered in Montevideo, Uruguay, in the Latin America region.
How does Manos del Uruguay make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Direct E-commerce Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Distribution.
Does Manos del Uruguay have an API?
No public API is recorded for Manos del Uruguay.
What industry is Manos del Uruguay in?
Manos del Uruguay's product category is Handcrafted Artisan Textiles and Yarn. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAOAHAB, Wallets, Small Leather Goods & Accessories Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 315 and its SIC code is 2300.