Why Our Best-Selling Napkins Have Been Missing

• Posted on 25 June 2026
• By LynAnne Wilton
• 0

Hi friends! I’m LynAnne, store manager here at HumanKind. Every so often, I wanted to share a few thoughts from behind the counter: what we’re seeing in the shop, what customers are loving, conversations we’re having, and the bigger stories behind fair trade and thoughtful shopping. Thanks for being part of this community with us.

If you've visited HumanKind Fair Trade recently, there's a good chance you've asked us this question:

"When are the handwoven napkins coming back?"

Trust me…we've been asking the same thing.

These napkins have become one of our best-selling gifts, and we've been just as disappointed to see our shelves empty for so many months. Recently, I reached out directly to Harish, the owner of Sustainable Threads, to better understand what was happening.

His answer was a powerful reminder of why fair trade exists in the first place.

The beautiful napkins are handwoven by a cooperative of more than 150 indigenous women in Northeast India. These women live in a region that has faced years of conflict, economic hardship, and unpredictable monsoon flooding. The cooperative was created to provide steady, fair-paying work built around the traditional weaving skills these women have passed down for generations. Every artisan is also a partial owner of the cooperative, helping shape its future while earning fair wages, bonuses, and medical benefits.

Over the past several months, however, the cooperative has experienced challenge after challenge. One of the key artisans responsible for dyeing the fabric had to step away unexpectedly because of a family emergency.

At the same time, the group discovered that some dye lots weren't matching previous batches. Since each napkin set includes four different colors, every shade has to be just right before a complete set can be finished. If one color doesn't match, the entire set waits while that piece is recreated.

Then came challenges far beyond the village itself.

The conflict in the Middle East created a natural gas shortage in India. For a period of time, commercial businesses were unable to access natural gas so families would have enough for cooking. Although these napkins are woven entirely by hand, they still require one mechanized finishing step called calendering, which softens the fabric.

Without access to natural gas, production simply couldn't move forward.

And once the napkins were finally ready to ship, global shipping disruptions created even more delays. Small fair trade producers who rely on carriers like UPS and FedEx suddenly found themselves competing for limited cargo space as larger companies shifted away from ocean freight.

It's easy to think of international conflicts as something happening "somewhere else." I know I certainly do, until I stop at the gas station and notice the prices. But hearing how these events affected the daily lives of artisans halfway around the world made everything feel much more personal.

I can't imagine worrying about whether I'd have enough fuel to cook dinner for my family. Yet for many people, that has been reality.

Our world is deeply connected. A conflict thousands of miles away can affect a woman weaving fabric in India, which eventually affects what ends up on the shelves here in San Luis Obispo.

Fair trade has never promised speed.

It promises dignity.

It promises relationships over transactions, people over production schedules, and communities over convenience.

So while we've all been waiting a little longer for these beloved napkins, I'm reminded that behind every empty shelf is a story, and behind every finished napkin is a woman whose work helps support her family.

Thank you for your patience, your understanding, and for choosing to shop in a way that truly makes a difference.

We can't wait to welcome these beautiful napkins back into the store, and we assure you that we will make a big announcement when they return!

With gratitude,

LynAnne