ZATTARO, founded by Marcelo De Rada Ocampo ’15CC, was born from the dexterity of Bolivian craftswomen, producing the first line of elegant, wool shoes with the highest quality. He first came across the idea in July 2013, when Mr. Ocampo and Marcelo Pereira and were working at Pricewaterhouse Coopers in Bolivia. During a visit to a crafts fair in the city of El Alto, we identified the talent of a group of craftswomen in their work with wool and an opportunity to use that talent to create a value-added product while helping them rise above poverty.
The project brings capacity training, jobs, and leadership development for the people in the communities where our raw materials and final products are created. It is a venture with production taking place in Bolivia from beginning to end. Their efforts paid off with a “Innovative Startup Award 2014 – Social Track” at Claremont Mckenna College in the United States. Also, through their capacity training, Amelia Apaza, one of their craftswomen, was also a winner of a Bolivian competition that promotes and funds women entrepreneurs. These and many other awards have inspired Zattaro to soon launch a crowd funding campaign along with opening sales online and through strategically chosen partner stores.