Xiomara Rosa-Tedla, Founder of UnoEth
(Photo Courtesy of UnoEth)

UnoEth partners with artisans in Ethiopia to craft handmade, classic, and versatile leather bags and accessories. Founded in 2015 by the father-daughter team of Xiomara Rosa-Tedla and Dagne Tedla, the concept came about after Dagne bought Xiomara a custom leather messenger bag as a gift on one of his trips to Ethiopia, where he was raised. The bag was a huge hit, and many of Xiomara’s friends and coworkers asked if they could pre-order bags for Dagne’s next visit. The duo began working with Ethiopian artisans to design, import, and sell leather goods, and UnoEth (which means ‘One Ethiopia’) was born.

With the support of Wells Fargo and the Diverse Community Capital program, Working Solutions has made three loans totaling $90,000 to UnoEth. The first loan, in fall 2017, allowed Xiomara and Dagne to purchase inventory for the holiday season and expand into a San Francisco storefront. Since then, Xiomara has returned for two additional Working Solutions loans, each of which has supported inventory purchases and marketing.

As a loan client, Xiomara has access to free, post-loan consulting through Working Solutions. Xiomara started UnoEth with a strong marketing and retail background but limited knowledge of how to manage the finances of a small business. In her own words, “Working Solutions has been a great resource for advice. I have a degree in marketing and worked in merchandising, so it's easy for me to analyze sales reports and understand how to market to my customer in both a creative way and an analytical way. But the finance part can be intimidating. Working Solutions offering those connections and those courses was really helpful for me.”

Since launching, UnoEth has doubled its revenue year-over-year and is now nearing $200,000 in annual revenue. Xiomara has hired one part-time employee, and the primary artisan she works with in Ethiopia now has five full-time employees. Today, UnoEth bags and accessories—tote bags, wallets, messenger bags, and backpacks—are available for purchase in 20 small boutiques across the United States, as well as on the UnoEth website and at pop-up shops across the San Francisco Bay Area.

Xiomara has already referred friends to Working Solutions, and she said she would "definitely recommend Working Solutions, especially to businesses that are under five years old." She added, "Working Solutions has been so beneficial for a growing brand like UnoEth."

Looking ahead, Xiomara would like to expand UnoEth to include partnerships with other artisans around the world. She shared: "I'd love to keep replicating our model. I envision expanding into apparel, whether it's partnering with weavers in Peru who make alpaca cardigans or partnering with jewelry makers in Kenya. My goal is to work with more artisans globally."

Check out UnoEth's collection of handmade leather bags and accessories at unoeth.com.

Media Highlights: