Yewo

YEWO, pronounced ‘yay whoa’, is a recycled jewelry brand employing makers in the rural Manchewe village of Malawi. Nestled in the northern mountains of Malawi, they make all their recycled jewelry in a solar-powered, carbon neutral, and off-the-grid jewelry workshop. Using both innovative and traditional techniques, they craft modern and elegant, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets in small batches. YEWO’s jewelry line is made with locally and responsibly sourced raw materials from Malawi like recycled brass and teak wood. Their design studio sits stateside in Asheville, NC where owners Maddy and Kyle meticulously design each piece. They travel to Malawi for five months a year to train their makers in the art of metalsmithing. YEWO responsibly manufactures their jewelry to fair trade standards. They invest in the local community and train and employ makers previously living in rural poverty. Each YEWO employee receives 21 days of paid time off per year (plus holidays) and a guaranteed reliable well-paid salary 2-3 times higher than the national average. Employees also receive individual health insurance, two healthy meals per day, and access to micro loans. YEWO is a women-owned company and all YEWO employees work in safe, healthy working conditions.