creative women of the world

What creative women of the world does

Creative Women of the World (CWOW) is a US-based 501(c)-style nonprofit that operates a fair-trade direct-to-consumer marketplace for goods made by women artisans in Ecuador, India, and Nepal, paired with an in-house entrepreneurship training program. The organization sells curated assortments across roughly 13 categories (Accessories, Apparel, Home Goods, Jewelry, Kids, Kitchen, Outdoor and Garden, Pantry, Pets, Stationery) through a Shopify e-commerce storefront and a single physical showroom at 125 W. Wayne St., Fort Wayne, Indiana. Individual SKUs are priced between $1.75 and $16.00, with gift certificates starting at $10.00, and the assortment is sourced under fair-trade partnerships with nine named suppliers including Equal Exchange, Women's Bean Project, Good Paper, Justea, Tesoros Trading Co., Kamibashi, Aid Through Trade, Loofah Art, and Antidote (Gaia). The catalog is merchandised both by partner and by country, signaling an origin-story-led positioning rather than a category-led one.

Beyond retail, CWOW runs the LOTUS Artisan program and a Business Training Curriculum, providing women entrepreneurs with resources and training intended to develop sustainable businesses from creative output. Field operations are documented in Ecuador through partnerships with organizations including SUMAK and Casa mis Sueños in Quito and activity in Cayambe and Otavalo; Executive Director Jamie Grabner conducted an international site visit in January 2026 after roughly two years in the role. Distribution is dual-channel (global Shopify storefront plus a domestic Fort Wayne retail location), marketing is conducted through Facebook, Instagram, an email newsletter, and a company blog, and the entity is privately held with no institutional ownership, funding rounds, or revenue disclosure on record. Customer acquisition relies on volunteer programs, Open Calls for artisans, donation inflows, and workshop/event listings rather than paid acquisition.

Name

creative women of the world

Legal name

Creative Women of the World

Website

https://gocwow.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Creative Women of the World is a nonprofit fair-trade retailer and women-artisan training provider operating a Shopify storefront and a single Fort Wayne, Indiana showroom, sourcing products from partners in Ecuador, India, and Nepal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fair Trade Retail

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

General Arts & Crafts Supplies Retail (CRALACAA)

Keywords

• Fair trade retail
• Artisan goods
• Women empowerment
• Nonprofit ecommerce
• Handmade accessories

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Wayne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Creative Women of the World generates revenue through direct product sales via its e-commerce storefront and physical retail location. Products include fair trade items such as tea, chocolate, home goods, jewelry, apparel, and accessories sourced from women artisans globally.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Creative Women of the World operates a fair-trade nonprofit retail business that sells artisan-made products (tea, chocolate, home goods, jewelry, accessories, greeting cards) sourced from women artisans and fair-trade partner organizations globally. Sales occur through a Shopify-based e-commerce storefront and a physical retail store in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The organization also delivers business training through its LOTUS Artisan Program and Business Training Curriculum to equip women entrepreneurs with resources to build sustainable businesses.

Product overview

Creative Women of the World is a fair trade e-commerce marketplace and nonprofit organization operating on Shopify. The platform connects consumers with artisan products from women worldwide through multiple sales channels: an online Shopify store and a physical retail location in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The product portfolio includes fair trade goods across 13 categories (Accessories, Apparel, Home Goods, Jewelry, Kids, Kitchen, Outdoor and Garden, Pantry, Pets, Stationery), sourced from partner organizations including Equal Exchange, Antidote, Loofah Art, Good Paper, Justea, Tesoros Trading Co., Kamibashi, Aid Through Trade, and Women's Bean Project. Beyond product sales, CWOW offers the LOTUS Artisan Program for training women as artisans and provides a Business Training Curriculum for entrepreneurial development, functioning as both a marketplace and an economic empowerment organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LOTUS Artisan: Artisan program for women entrepreneurs.

Products and services

• LOTUS Artisan Program Training and fair trade program that enables women artisans to develop products, access market channels, and grow sustainable creative businesses. Targeted at women entrepreneurs in developing regions.
• Business Training Curriculum Entrepreneurial training curriculum providing resources and structured instruction to help women artisans build sustainable businesses. Available to program participants and partners.
• Equal Exchange Organic Tea Fair trade organic tea sold to retail consumers at $5.00 per unit. Sourced from Equal Exchange, a worker-owned cooperative.
• Spice Blend (Women's Bean Project) Fair trade spice blend sold to retail consumers from $4.00. Sourced from Women's Bean Project, a nonprofit employing women to make natural seasonings.
• Chocolate Bar (Antidote) Fair trade ethically sourced chocolate bar sold to retail consumers from $9.00. Sourced from Antidote (Gaia).
• Justea Loose Leaf Tea Fair trade loose leaf tea sold to retail consumers from $16.00. Sourced from women tea farmers via Justea.
• Kitchen Loofahs, India (Loofah Art) Natural kitchen loofahs sold to retail consumers at $7.00. Sourced from Loofah Art artisans in India.
• Good Paper Greeting Cards Fair trade greeting cards sold to retail consumers at $6.00. Sourced from Good Paper, supporting artisan employment in developing countries.
• Roll On Bracelet, Nepal (Aid Through Trade) Recycled-material roll-on bracelets sold to retail consumers at $12.00. Sourced from Aid Through Trade artisans in Nepal.
• String Doll Keychain II (Kamibashi) Handmade string doll keychain sold to retail consumers at $11.00. Sourced from Kamibashi artisan communities.
• Mini Llama Figure (Tesoros Trading Co.) Miniature llama figure sold to retail consumers at $1.75. Sourced from Tesoros Trading Co. artisan partner.
• Gift Certificate Gift certificates sold to consumers starting at $10.00 for use on CWOW fair trade products.

Named customers9 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Equal ExchangecoreOthersFair trade partnership supplying organic tea products. Equal Exchange is a worker-owned cooperative focused on fair trade practices.
• Women's Bean ProjectcoreOthersFair trade partnership supplying spice blend products. Women's Bean Project is a nonprofit organization that hires women to make natural, gourmet seasonings.
• Good PapercoreOthersFair trade partnership supplying greeting card products. Good Paper creates opportunities for artisans in developing countries.
• JusteacoreOthersFair trade partnership supplying loose leaf tea products sourced directly from women tea farmers.
• Tesoros Trading Co.coreOthersFair trade partnership supplying miniature llama figure products. Tesoros Trading Co. creates fair trade relationships with artisans.
• KamibashicoreOthersFair trade partnership supplying string doll keychain products. Kamibashi creates handmade string dolls supporting artisan communities.
• Aid Through TradecoreOthersFair trade partnership supplying roll on bracelets made from recycled materials. Aid Through Trade provides employment to women artisans.
• Loofah ArtcoreOthersFair trade partnership supplying natural kitchen loofah products sourced from India. Loofah Art supports rural artisan communities.
• Antidote (Gaia)coreOthersFair trade partnership supplying chocolate bar products. Antidote Gaia creates ethically-sourced chocolate products.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Made Trade: Online fair-trade marketplace curating ethically sourced apparel, accessories, jewelry, and home goods from artisans worldwide—overlapping directly with CWOW's category mix and fair-trade positioning.
• Novica: Online marketplace connecting global artisans with buyers of handmade jewelry, apparel, home decor, and gifts—a comparable e-commerce-first fair-trade marketplace serving a similar customer base.
• Ten Thousand Villages: One of the largest fair-trade retailer networks in North America, operating physical stores plus e-commerce that sell artisan goods produced by makers in developing countries—directly comparable to CWOW's fair-trade marketplace model and product mix.
• The Fair Trade Store: Online retailer specializing in Fair Trade Certified products across home, gifts, jewelry, and accessories—directly comparable category mix and mission-aligned positioning to CWOW.
• Global Crafts: Fair-trade retailer and wholesaler of artisan-made products sourced from cooperatives in developing countries—sharing CWOW's curated artisan catalog and mission-driven positioning.
• Trades of Hope: Mission-driven fair-trade company that partners with artisans globally to sell jewelry, home goods, and accessories—comparable to CWOW's women-empowerment focus and curated fair-trade assortment.
• SERRV International: Nonprofit fair-trade organization selling handcrafted artisan products from global producer partners through online and partner-stores channels—sharing CWOW's nonprofit fair-trade marketplace structure and artisan-support mission.

Others

• Equal Exchange: Worker-owned cooperative and fair-trade supplier (also a CWOW product partner) that itself operates as a fair-trade brand selling organic tea, coffee, chocolate, and snacks—adjacent as a supplier and as a fair-trade peer brand.

Emerging players

• Indigenous Arts: Online marketplace for artisan-made crafts, jewelry, and home goods sourced from indigenous and women-led cooperatives—a partial overlap with CWOW's artisan and women-empowerment positioning.
• Heifer International Marketplace: Nonprofit that sells artisan-made goods from global producer partners as part of its mission to end poverty—sharing CWOW's nonprofit fair-trade marketplace model and women-artisan focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CreativeWomenoftheWorld
• Instagraminstagram.com/gocwow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/creative-women-of-the-world

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about creative women of the world