Tree of Life sells merchandise from countries including Australia, Guatemala, Vietnam, Thailand, China and Indonesia. But the largest proportion of our merchandise comes from India. The owners of Tree of Life first visited India in 1968 and started working out of there from 1969 onwards. 

People are often critical of businesses which they see as exploiting the cheap work force of developing countries. This is not the case with us. We have a long-term commitment to India on many levels and a great love and respect for the country and its people. 

This leads to the complex and controversial issue of workers from developing countries and how one deals with the inequalities and poverty one is surrounded by in India. There is no easy answer: we have learned to beware of quick judgments and solutions. 

It is our priority to ensure that the people who make our goods are treated well and with respect. Over the last forty years we have worked with many different manufacturers in India, and have at times stopped doing business with people who treat their workers poorly. At present, we have two main suppliers with whom we have been working for over fifteen years. Both are fully owned and run by Indians, and in each case, the owners of these family businesses are personally involved with their workers. They care about them and for them, and are proud of this involvement. There are no child workers. 

We believe that trade is aid. More broadly, we feel you help the poor of India by simply going there, by contributing your dollars to the overall economy, not by staying away out of fear or for other negative reasons. But above and beyond anything, by trading with India on a viable, long-term basis, you create steady jobs for the people. And in our experience, they want those jobs and appreciate them. We want a win-win situation where our suppliers make a profit and have the desire and means to treat their workers fairly. 

Hundreds of Indian families are dependent on Tree of Life. You can't see them, but they're behind the scenes, sewing, embroidering, washing, ironing, threading beads - and also living their own lives. After almost a lifetime of working with these people and their largely handmade products, we still feel deeply interested in the business, and admire and feel grateful to the Indian worker.

"All things must come to the soul from its roots, from where it is planted. The tree that is beside the running water is fresher and gives more fruit."
Saint Teresa of Avila