At first, there was just The ThaiCraft Association  

Established in August 1992 as an independent development organisation, The ThaiCraft Association was the successor to the "Hilltribe Sales" (volunteer-run events organised by the International Church of Bangkok at International School Bangkok's former downtown campus from 1975-1992). For the first year only, small start-up administration grants were received from Dutch (ICCO) and British (ODA/Oxfam) funding agencies but, by retaining a small share of sales revenue, ThaiCraft soon became and has remained a financially self-sufficient organisation.

ThaiCraft Sales – Now called “ThaiCraft Fairs”

By utilising volunteers from local and international communities in Bangkok, and with support from a small full-time staff, most of the first ThaiCraft Sales (a half-day market in Bangkok eight times a year) were held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. In September 1996, The Landmark Hotel in Sukhumvit Road became our main venue until September 2002 when, for one year, this event was held at the Imperial Tara Hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 26.

The ThaiCraft Sale - which from April 2006 has been renamed the “ThaiCraft Fair” – has been held at the Ambassador Hotel since 2003, with one Fair being in each calendar month. While the monthly Fairs have remained popular, ThaiCraft has recently been invigorating the event to enable customers to learn more about the craft producers and altogether give a better shopping experience. The Fair will always continue to develop and evolve and, in that way, remain a “must go” event on many people’s calendar.

In order to present the products to a wider audience, smaller Fairs are held from time to time at other venues. Two of these paces are International School Bangkok (ISB) in Nonthaburi (a Bangkok northern suburb) and at Bumrungrad Hospital in Soi Nana Nua, Sukhumvit Road. (Dates are included on our SaleEvents Page) ThaiCraft is always seeking other venue possibilities and we are happy to receive suggestions, whether it be at a school, or international conference or in a new area.

Volunteers

For our ThaiCraft Fairs, we have always been dependent on individuals and groups of volunteers to support the artisans - giving ThaiCraft its special character and relationship with producers. Literally thousands, of all nationalities and backgrounds, have freely given their time and commitment to make ThaiCraft events a success. At the same time, ThaiCraft has enabled many of our volunteers to gain an intimate insight into traditional Thai life and culture. They work closely with artisans at the Fairs  and, by joining tours arranged by ThaiCraft, visit craft producers' villages in each region of the country. (How to become a ThaiCraft volunteer)
Many people comment on the group of young people in yellow T-shirts who work very hard at every ThaiCraft Fair. These are students of International School Bangkok (ISB) who come as volunteers as part of their service to the community required in their studies..

A limited company was formed to expand and develop the market

ThaiCraft's export Sales began in a very small way early on but more interest in Thai craft products came from importers following a substantial devaluation of the Thai Baht, caused by the Asian financial crisis of 1997/8. ThaiCraft underwent a restructuring process in 2000/1 by creating a new limited company, ThaiCraft Fair Trade Company Limited, to expand both export and domestic sales opportunities still further. All the trading and marketing activities are undertaken by the company which employs local staff.
The company has recently enlarged the staff team, bringing in young professional people as trainee managers to secure a stable and forward-looking future. As a result of new informational technology, more efficiency and better response will help improve our service to customers and it will allow the company to grow by continuing to offer competitive prices for unusual, quality products.

Artisan groups and capacity building development

In the beginning, we partnered with 25 artisan groups from villages in Central, North and Northeast Thailand. Some Southern groups later joined us in 1995. Over the years, more than 80 groups have been involved, from remote hilltribe minorities in the North to Muslim fishing communities in the deep South; from city slum dwellers to rice-paddy farmers far off the beaten track. Small but valued grants came at times from the Ford Foundation and the Canada Fund to help strengthen producer capacity in villages and in training opportunities. Today, ThaiCraft's 70 partner groups come from all regions of Thailand. Their representatives meet our staff and volunteers and, just as importantly, each other at ThaiCraft Fairs and also they share experiences and learning at our periodic workshops and seminars.

The future

It is the spirit of equality and of our common goals within ThaiCraft's artisan "family" that will stimulate our organisation to develop and flourish even more effectively in the future. The added ingredients of supportive customers and committed volunteers will continue to help sustain hope, value and strength to our artisan communities, which represent the diverse ethnic cultures of this enchanting Kingdom.