{"id":141,"date":"2016-07-07T20:59:41","date_gmt":"2016-07-07T20:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brentblack.com\/cart\/?page_id=141"},"modified":"2016-07-17T23:23:08","modified_gmt":"2016-07-17T23:23:08","slug":"montecristi-foundation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/montecristi-foundation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Montecristi Foundation, Inc. Overview"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\t
\r\n\t\tOur mission is to preserve, and to re-grow, the centuries-old art of\u00a0hand-weaving the legendary Montecristi \u201cPanama\u201d hats.\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/h3>\n

Our mission is to preserve, and to re-grow, the centuries-old art of hand-weaving the legendary Montecristi \u201cPanama\u201d hats.<\/p>\n

Salud. Comida. Arte.<\/em><\/p>\n

Health. Food. Art.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo save the art, first we must save the artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Signature_BBB_Medium\"<\/p>\n

We are but a match in a hurricane. We do a little bit in a little village.\u00a0We make a few lives a little better, once in a while. It\u2019s not much, but it\u2019s\u00a0something. Perhaps, after seeing what we are doing now, you will decide to help\u00a0us do a little more.<\/p>\n

Funding for Foundation projects and programs comes from The Panama Hat Co.\u00a0of the Pacific, Inc. and direct donations from people like you (hint,\u00a0hint).<\/p>\n

Specific programs funded and administered by The Montecristi Foundation,\u00a0Inc.:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Weaving School<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Master Weaver Certification<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Medical Care<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Safety Masks for Weavers<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Eyeglasses for Weavers<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. More Eyeglasses<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Water Project<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Soccer Team<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. Denomination of Origin\u00a0Protection<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. Fair Trade<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. Fighting Montecristo Cigars<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \t
    \r\n\t\t1. Weaving School\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/h2>\n

    \"weaving-school-composite\"<\/p>\n

    top<\/a><\/p>\n

    Summary:<\/strong> Established January of 2011, the hat weaving school is in the\u00a0village of Pile (pee-lay), where the very finest Montecristi hats have been\u00a0woven for . . . oh, a couple of hundred years.<\/p>\n

    Tuition is free. Class size is limited. Two teachers. The Montecristi\u00a0Foundation pays salaries, rent, and all school-related costs, including a free\u00a0meal for the students, which they eat during their break. (Hmm, should I ask\u00a0for donations here, or not? Better not. People get tired of charities begging\u00a0all the time.)<\/p>\n

    The goal is to keep the art alive. To teach the next generation to make the\u00a0magic of their fathers and mothers, the magic of their great-great-grandfathers\u00a0and great-great-grandmothers, the magic of their nation’s most famous\u00a0creations, the magic that elevates simple straw to fine art.<\/p>\n

    SEE VIDEO\u00a0\u00bb<\/a> Students, teachers, a dog, cute kids, catchy music \u2013 what\u2019s not to\u00a0love?<\/p>\n

    \t
    \r\n\t\t2. Master Weaver Certification\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/h2>\n

    \"master-weaver\"<\/p>\n

    top<\/a><\/p>\n

    Summary: This important program was launched in November 2015 with the\u00a0certification of four Master Weavers at three different levels of skill and\u00a0achievement. We will partner with the government of Ecuador to execute this\u00a0program.<\/p>\n

    Go to short page with more PHOTOS\u00a0and description \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n

    \t
    \r\n\t\t3. Medical Care\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/h2>\n

    top<\/a><\/p>\n

    When we first began to provide free medical care to the village of Pile back\u00a0before the turn of the century, ours was the only medical care available in the\u00a0village. The government of Ecuador had not yet \u201cdiscovered\u201d Pile.\u00a0We started with a couple of experimental medical days, funded by The Panama Hat\u00a0Co. of the Pacific, Inc.<\/p>\n

    We hired a physician from Montecristi city who brought two assistants and\u00a0his best guess as to what medications might be needed. They gave physical\u00a0examinations, listened to complaints and symptoms, prescribed medications when\u00a0appropriate, and advised patients on basic health maintenance, diet, etc.\u00a0(mostly ignored, same as I do).<\/p>\n

    \"foundation-3\"<\/p>\n

    These free medical days were so popular with the weavers and their families\u00a0(not a surprise) that we continued the program for several years. We funded\u00a0free medical days in Pile several times per year, as many as we could\u00a0afford.<\/p>\n

    The government of Ecuador finally discovered the village in 2007 and now\u00a0assigns a physician just out of school to provide care for Pile on a regular\u00a0schedule. So we modified our own program to provide the most help possible\u00a0within our small budget.<\/p>\n

    We still fund free eye exams and eyeglasses, safety gear to prevent health\u00a0problems, and occasional extraordinary help in emergency situations.<\/p>\n

    \t
    \r\n\t\t4. Safety Masks for Weavers\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/h2>\n

    \"Weavers_with_Safety_Masks_560x419\"<\/h2>\n

    top<\/a><\/p>\n

    Sulfur powder is critically important to the traditional process of creating\u00a0genuine Montecristi hats. We have sometimes provided free sulfur powder for\u00a0weavers. So we have also provided free safety masks to protect weavers from the\u00a0free sulfur powder.<\/p>\n

    This is the first time in history that the weavers have had any way to\u00a0protect themselves from the potentially hazardous sulfur fumes that are an\u00a0essential part of the process.<\/p>\n

    \t
    \r\n\t\t5. EyeGlasses for Weavers\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/h2>\n

    \"Women_with_Eyeglasses_0248\"<\/p>\n

    top<\/a><\/p>\n

    The Foundation brought an optometrist to Pile, provided free eye exams, and\u00a0free eyeglasses. I was there when the optometrist came, and I was shocked to\u00a0discover that most of the weavers literally couldn\u2019t see what they were\u00a0doing. I had high hopes that a dramatic increase in fineness and evenness of\u00a0weave would follow immediately. I was wrong. Touch and feel must be more\u00a0important than sight when weaving. (See related story about a child\u2019s eye glasses<\/a>).<\/p>\n

    \t
    \r\n\t\t6. More Free Eyeglasses\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/h2>\n

    \"glasses711_comp1\"<\/p>\n

    top<\/a><\/p>\n

    Eyes change. New glasses were needed. So, in July 2011, The Montecristi\u00a0Foundation again funded an optometrist to go to Pile. This time, with more\u00a0sophisticated equipment than anyone has ever seen in Pile, including those with\u00a0perfect eyesight.<\/p>\n

    Eyes were examined. Prescriptions were written. Eyeglasses were made and\u00a0distributed. All free. The service was offered to all the weavers, not only to\u00a0those whose hats I buy.<\/p>\n

    We will fund new exams and eyeglasses again in 2016. Maybe you could see\u00a0your way to help.<\/p>\n

    \t
    \r\n\t\t7. Water Project\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/h2>\n

    top<\/a><\/p>\n

    Ugly beauty. Ugly to look at, but beautiful to have in your neighborhood if\u00a0you live in Pile.<\/p>\n

    It is a water storage tank to provide a safe water supply for the village.\u00a0The old water storage tank was, well, old. There were serious problems with it,\u00a0including health issues. It needed to be replaced.<\/p>\n

    Steve Singer, CEO of Hartford York<\/a>, joined with The Montecristi Foundation\u00a0to fund the Pile Water Project of 2008. Steve and I agreed to donate funds to\u00a0buy the materials, and the people of Pile agreed to provide the labor. Perfect.\u00a0We’ll help you, if you’ll help yourselves.<\/p>\n

    We hired an architect to select the best site, to make a drawing of the\u00a0proposed system, and to provide a cost estimate. He did his part, we bought and\u00a0delivered the materials, and the people of Pile build the storage tank.<\/p>\n

    The project is a total success. Still providing water to the village of\u00a0Pile, as I write this in 2016.<\/p>\n

    Water is life.<\/p>\n

    \"water-project\"

    Sim\u00f3n supervises unloading gravel, Sim\u00f3n helps unload lumber Sim\u00f3n carrying lumber, Completed water tank<\/p><\/div>\n

    \t
    \r\n\t\t8. Soccer Team\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/h2>\n

    top<\/a><\/p>\n

    \"Screen<\/p>\n

    I still remember the day Sim\u00f3n told me he played on the Pile soccer team.\u00a0Soccer\u2019s cool. Exercise is good. What position? Goalie. Goalie!? Hands! Hands\u00a0at risk. The best hat weaver in the known universe is inviting career-ending\u00a0broken fingers on a regular basis. Yikes. Not good.<\/p>\n

    I bid Sim\u00f3n a hasty adios and drove an hour to the closest sporting goods\u00a0store to buy the best goalie gloves in Ecuador. I wondered if Lloyd\u2019s of London\u00a0would insure Sim\u00f3n\u2019s hands for a million dollars. Maybe, but they\u2019d probably\u00a0insist he stop playing goalie. And never juggle machetes.<\/p>\n

    As long as I was buying goalie gloves, it occurred to me to ask Sim\u00f3n:\u00a0\u201cDoes the team need uniforms?\u201d Duh. Every team needs uniforms, and\u00a0sponsoring uniforms for the Pile soccer team is not on Nike\u2019s to-do list.<\/p>\n

    Okay. I\u2019m in. I\u2019ve always wanted to see my name on a team jersey.<\/p>\n

    \t
    \r\n\t\t9. Denomination of Origin protection for \u201cMontecristi\u201d
    \nHats\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/h2>\n

    \"Logo_Montecristi_Foundation\"<\/p>\n

    top<\/a><\/p>\n

    This is one of our most important projects ever. We are working to give\u00a0legal protection to \u201c Montecristi\u201d hats in the same way \u201c Bordeaux\u201d and \u201c\u00a0Champagne\u201d wines, \u201c Idaho\u201d potatoes, \u201c Jamaica Blue Mountain\u201d coffee, and other\u00a0regional produce and products are protected.<\/p>\n

    The MCF and The Panama Hat Company of the Pacific, Inc. helped fund legal\u00a0action in Ecuador to win Denomination of Origin protection for Montecristi\u00a0hats.<\/p>\n

    The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) of the UN oversees,\u00a0globally, Denomination of Origin applications. When we made our application,\u00a0WIPO sent an inspector to Montecristi to evaluate the merits of the application\u00a0on behalf of \u201cMontecristi\u201d hats. The UN inspector from WIPO\u00a0endorsed our application for DO protection, meaning that he endorsed our\u00a0assertion that both process and product of \u201c Montecristi\u201d hats are unique and\u00a0proprietary to the area.<\/p>\n

    Once the application was blessed by WIPO, the governmental agency of Ecuador\u00a0that regulates and protects intellectual property rights (IEPI), conducted two\u00a0similar inspections to verify the unique process employed to cut, prepare and\u00a0weave the straw to create Montecristi hats. I helped write the descriptions of\u00a0how traditional Montecristi hats are made.<\/p>\n

    In 2007, IEPI passed a resolution to award Denomination of Origin status and\u00a0protection to \u201cMontecristi\u201d hats. Victory? Not exactly.<\/p>\n

    Unfortunately, the official DO resolution had no teeth in it \u2014no\u00a0certification system, no enforcement. So, nine years later, there is virtually\u00a0no change in the real-world marketplace. Shops in Montecristi still have\u00a0shelves loaded with Cuenca hats falsely labeled as genuine Montecristi hats.\u00a0Stores all over the world still sell Cuenca hats fraudulently represented to be\u00a0genuine Montecristi hats.<\/p>\n

    I estimate that more than half of the hats sold every year as Montecristi\u00a0hats are not Montecrisit hats. This is the primary reason Montecristi hats are\u00a0almost extinct. If everyone who thinks s\/he is buying a Montecristi hat bought\u00a0a for-real Montecristi hat, demand would almost double. And perhaps the art\u00a0would be able to survive.<\/p>\n

    When I was in Montecristi in late 2015, the Director of Tourism for\u00a0Montecristi promised me she and her department were going to remove all falsely\u00a0labeled hats from the stores \u2013 in less than two weeks from the day of our\u00a0conversation.<\/p>\n

    I checked to confirm she had done as promised, and received confirmation of\u00a0my expectations \u2013 nothing has changed. Fraudulent sellers said they needed\u00a0\u201cmore time\u201d before they could comply.<\/p>\n

    More time?!!! It has been 9 years since the resolution was passed. For\u00a0reasons beyond comprehension, the nation of Ecuador appears to be unwilling to\u00a0make a genuine effort to save from extinction its own greatest art form. Please\u00a0excuse me while I shut myself in my bedroom for an hour or two and alternate\u00a0between cursing and weeping.<\/p>\n

    \t
    \r\n\t\t10.Fair Trade\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/h2>\n

    top<\/a><\/p>\n

    It seems like a great idea, doesn\u2019t it? No forced\u00a0labor. No sweatshops. Pay workers fairly. Make sure their working conditions\u00a0and hours are reasonable. All good. Sign me up.<\/p>\n

    \n

    \"fair-trade-international\"\"fair-trade-federation\"Paying the weavers and artisans more fairly than\u00a0they\u2019ve been paid for the past hundred years has been central to my\u00a0efforts to save the art of fine hat weaving. Simple concept: if you want people\u00a0to do something, pay them well enough that they will want to do it too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    I\u2019ve also been actively trying to protect weavers\u2019 health by\u00a0providing safety masks to protect eyes and lungs, by bringing physicians and\u00a0optometrists to the village, by paying for and delivering prescription\u00a0medicines, by building a water project, and a few times I’ve even paid for\u00a0surgery and prenatal care that weavers\u2019 family members desperately needed\u00a0but could not afford.<\/p>\n

    \n

    \"world-fair-trade-assoc\"So I thought it was logical to become a Fair Trade\u00a0merchant. Naturally, I Googled \u201cfair trade organizations.\u201d I\u00a0discovered that there are quite a lot of them. Some operate only in certain\u00a0parts of the world. Some specialize in a particular type of labor or product.\u00a0Some actively inspect work sites and working conditions. Some help set labor\u00a0prices. Some look like maybe they don’t do much but sit in their offices and\u00a0collect application fees.<\/p>\n

    I was still trying to figure it all out when I heard (on\u00a0NPR) the news story about Victoria\u2019s Secret and a Fair Trade scandal. The\u00a0report was that farms, where cotton is grown for Victoria\u2019s Secret\u00a0products, were exploiting children. Certainly not the fault of Victoria\u2019s\u00a0Secret. They want to do the right thing and relied on the Fair Trade group of\u00a0which they are\/were members to implement and maintain the standards they\u00a0claimed. But that particular Fair Trade group was not doing a good job, and\u00a0workers, including children, were being exploited. So who watches the\u00a0watchers?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \"fair-trade-usa\"Forget it. \u201cJoin Fair Trade Group\u201d was\u00a0scratched off the to-do list. I\u2019ll just keep doing what I\u2019ve been\u00a0doing for many years: raising prices paid to weavers and artisans, protecting\u00a0individual and public health as best I can and can afford. Fair enough?<\/p>\n

    \n

    \t
    \r\n\t\t11. Fighting Montecristo Cigars\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/h2>\n

    top<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \u201dMontecristo\u201d is one of the largest and most famous Cuban cigar\u00a0brands. The company, based in Havana and Madrid, filed in Ecuador for trademark\u00a0registration of \u201cMontecristo\u201d as a brand name for hats. If they\u00a0succeed in winning trademark registration, in Ecuador, for\u00a0\u201cMontecristo\u201d hats, then it seemed inevitable that the company will\u00a0soon take legal action to prevent anyone from using \u201cMontecristi\u201d\u00a0to describe hats.<\/p>\n

    They would claim that the name Montecristi is too similar to their\u00a0registered trademark of Montecristo, that it would cause confusion in the\u00a0market, and would damage sales of their brand. Therefore, they would claim,\u00a0Montecristi should no longer be used to describe hats because it infringes on\u00a0their trademark. Surely, a large multi-national corporation would never do such\u00a0a thing, would never take legal action to prevent producers of Montecristi hats\u00a0from properly calling their hats Montecristi hats. Would they? They say they\u00a0wouldn\u2019t. I preferred not to take a chance.<\/p>\n

    The MCF and The Panama Hat Company of the Pacific, Inc.<\/em> funded legal action\u00a0to block \u201cMontecristo\u201d as a registered trademark for hats in\u00a0Ecuador. We won the initial ruling, they appealed, we won again, they appealed\u00a0again, and so on. The cigar company finally agreed to withdraw\u00a0\u201cheadwear\u201d as part of their trademark application. Great.\u00a0It\u2019s settled then, right? In my dreams. For reasons beyond my\u00a0understanding, the legal \u201cbattle\u201d continued even though both\u00a0parties had reached agreement. Sigh.<\/p>\n

    The legal dance continued for a while longer but it has finally been\u00a0resolved for once and for all (I hope). We have successfully protected\u00a0\u201cMontecristi\u201d hats from \u201cMontecristo\u201d hats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Our mission is to preserve, and to re-grow, the centuries-old art of hand-weaving the legendary Montecristi \u201cPanama\u201d hats. Salud. Comida. Arte. Health. Food. Art. \u201cTo save the art, first we must save the artists.\u201d We are but a match in a hurricane. We do a little bit in a little village.\u00a0We make a few […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":1113,"parent":0,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-141","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4215,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/141\/revisions\/4215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}