Kaleya was born from a deep appreciation of handcrafted goods.

We are endlessly inspired by the moment of pause and feelings of awe and delight that we experience when holding a beautiful object someone made by hand.

When founder Jessica first moved to Zambia in 2015 she was blown away by the craftsmanship she was surrounded by. She quickly learned that if you were looking for something special you wouldn't go to a store. Instead, you would browse a local Sunday market or have a piece custom-made by a skilled carpenter, tailor, or welder.

Despite this, on trips home to the U.S. she rarely saw Zambian artisans represented, even in shops that carried goods from other African countries.

Through Kaleya we hope to change that.

Our aim is to make beautiful and functional artisan pieces from Zambia more accessible to the benefit of both makers and buyers.

We are committed to sourcing ethically and operating in a way that ensures artisans truly benefit from the expansion of their wares into a broader market.

Kaleya is a mother-daughter team. Jessica is based primarily in Zambia and works directly with our artisan partners with a focus on sourcing, design, and production while Jane handles on the ground logistics in the U.S. including inventory, shipping, and quality control.

All orders are shipped from within the U.S. and have already cleared the import process.

FAQs

How does shipping work?

All goods, unless otherwise requested, are shipped directly from the US. We currently ship domestically and internationally via U.S.P.S. Ground Advantage. All orders $100 or above ship free. A flat rate shipping fee of $7.95 applies to all orders under $100. Our newsletter subscribers get free shipping on their first order - scroll down to sign up.

Do you accept returns?

Returns are accepted on all purchases if initiated within 10 days of delivery.To initiate a return or exchange, please complete the following steps:
  1. Email hello@shopkaleya.com with your order number and description of items you wish to return or exchange.
  2. Send your item(s) back. Unless items are somehow defective, Kaleya will not cover return shipping costs.
  3. When returned items are received Kaleya will initiate a full refund via original method of payment within 24 hours.

What do you mean when you say you source ethically?

We are committed to fair trade practices and operating in a way that ensures artisans truly benefit from the expansion of their wares into a broader market. We have long term relationships with the artisans and artisan organizations that we work with. All goods are purchased outright, which means profits go back to the makers and their communities whether a piece sells or not. We respect their pricing structures and pre-finance orders with deposits.

How much goes back to the artisans?

As mentioned above, all goods are purchased outright. This means that artisans are paid before items sell and even if they don’t sell or are damaged during transport. Our decision not to purchase on consignment is part of our commitment to sourcing ethically. This ensures that artisans are always compensated for their work and we carry the financial risk of dead stock and cashflow limitations. Retail prices reflect upfront payment to the artisan/artisan groups/social enterprises from which we source, the expense of shipping goods from Zambia to the U.S, and a profit margin that will (hopefully) make Kaleya a sustainable business that will continue to increase market access for artisans in Zambia.