Kenyan Entrepreneur Opens Canadian Market for Local Handcrafted Products

A Kenyan entrepreneur based in Canada is helping local artisans reach international customers by exporting handcrafted products from Kenya to the North American market, creating new opportunities for producers who have long relied on tourism for sales.

For many Kenyans living abroad, migration has traditionally been linked to education, employment and career advancement. Increasingly, however, members of the diaspora are using their international experience to identify business opportunities that connect overseas consumers with products made in Kenya. Rather than focusing solely on careers abroad, some are building commercial links that support producers at home.

One such entrepreneur is Jackee Kasandy, who is based in Vancouver. Through her company, she has introduced Kenyan handcrafted products to Canadian consumers, turning items often sold as tourist souvenirs into sought-after home décor and fashion accessories. Her business demonstrates how diaspora entrepreneurs can connect local artisans with markets that would otherwise remain out of reach.

Kasandy did not begin her career in business ownership. After completing her university education in Kenya, she moved to Canada, where she spent more than 18 years working in senior marketing and advertising positions. 

She led major campaigns at advertising agencies in Toronto before managing marketing portfolios for organisations including BC Ferries and WorkSafeBC in British Columbia. The experience gave her a detailed understanding of consumer behaviour, branding and retail markets in North America.

The idea for her business developed through personal experience rather than formal research. Whenever she travelled to Kenya to visit family, she returned with handcrafted kiondo bags, woven baskets, jewellery and decorative items. Friends and colleagues in Canada regularly asked where they could buy similar products after seeing her use or display them.

Seeing consistent interest, Kasandy recognised an opportunity to introduce authentic African artisan products to the Canadian market. Instead of treating the items as personal keepsakes, she saw their commercial potential. In 2014, she left her corporate career and founded Kasandy | Locally Global, a business that sources handcrafted products directly from artisan communities in Kenya and other African countries.

Her business focuses on more than retail sales. By working directly with artisan groups, she seeks to ensure producers receive fair payment while giving customers access to handmade products that reflect both skilled craftsmanship and cultural heritage. Kasandy believes customers value not only the products themselves but also the stories behind them.

"People in Vancouver are receptive, they care about making a difference in the world and are interested in handmade products, and they are curious and excited about the stories of the people they buy from," she said.

She has also pointed to the durability of Kenyan craftsmanship, saying: "A Kenyan basket will last you 30 years; it's a good return on your money."

Her experience highlights a wider challenge facing Kenya's handicrafts industry. Agricultural exports such as tea, coffee, flowers and avocados benefit from established export systems and well-developed international supply chains. By comparison, many artisans continue to depend on tourist markets, airport gift shops, hotels and roadside curio stalls, making their incomes vulnerable to changes in visitor numbers and seasonal demand.

This dependence has limited the sector's growth. Many handcrafted products reach overseas buyers only when tourists purchase them during visits to Kenya, rather than through organised export channels that supply international retailers throughout the year.

Kasandy's business takes a different approach. Instead of waiting for customers to visit Kenya, she supplies Kenyan products directly to consumers abroad, presenting handcrafted goods as premium home décor and fashion accessories rather than holiday souvenirs. Her experience shows that traditional craftsmanship can compete in established retail markets when supported by effective branding and storytelling.

Her work also reflects broader efforts to expand Kenya's creative economy. The government has identified the diaspora as an important contributor to national development while encouraging greater value addition across creative industries. Entrepreneurs working overseas demonstrate how international networks can help diversify exports beyond Kenya's traditional agricultural products.

Other countries have shown what is possible. India and China have developed multi-billion-dollar handicraft industries through dedicated export systems that promote cultural products internationally. Vietnam and Indonesia have also integrated traditional weaving, pottery and woodwork into global supply chains, giving artisans access to steady overseas demand instead of relying mainly on tourism.

Kenya has not yet developed a comparable export framework for its handicrafts industry. Even so, businesses such as Kasandy's show how diaspora entrepreneurs can help bridge that gap by creating direct links between local producers and international markets.

Kenyan handicrafts also play an important role beyond commerce. Handmade products are regularly presented as official gifts to visiting presidents, royalty and other international dignitaries. Beadwork, soapstone carvings, woven baskets, paintings and carved wooden sculptures have become recognised symbols of Kenya's cultural identity during state visits.

One example came during Pope Francis's visit to Kenya in November 2015, when then-President Uhuru Kenyatta presented the Pontiff with a hand-carved safe containing traditional items together with a specially bound Swahili edition of the Holy Bible produced using local craftsmanship. Pope Francis presented the President with an archival drawing of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's 1637 design for the bell towers of St Peter's Basilica, reflecting the tradition of exchanging cultural gifts during diplomatic visits.

Despite receiving recognition at the highest levels of state diplomacy, many artisans who produce these works continue to face uncertain incomes because of limited access to international markets. Kasandy believes these products deserve a permanent place in homes around the world rather than being sold mainly as tourist purchases.

By linking international customers directly with artisan communities, her business allows more of the economic value to return to the people who make the products. Each handcrafted basket, woven bag or decorative item sold abroad supports household incomes while helping preserve traditional skills and cultural heritage.