Text/Photos by Robert Adams// WATCH MID-POINT VIDEO//
TELCHAC PUEBLO, Yucatan – In 2008, the world “turned upside down” for Angela and Scott Damman, then living in the small community of Salida in central Colorado, USA.
Angela’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, and the U.S. financial crisis along with some employment issues led the couple to decide they wanted to move abroad. Raising their two young children (2 and 6 years old then) bilingually in a Spanish-speaking country was another motivation.
Through an exhaustive search of many possible countries, the couple selected Mexico and then focused on Yucatan for their move. With the help of Merida real estate broker Jennifer Lytle, the Dammans bought a portion of a large but deteriorated hacienda property near Telchac Pueblo, about an hour’s drive east of Merida.
“It was a big leap of faith,” Angela confessed. “We weren´t sure what we would do when we got here, but since we were too young to retire and had two young children, we had to do something.”
The couple immediately set about to build their new life by gradually recovering the hacienda from its crumbling state and then launching a business that utilized knowledge and skills acquired in the U.S.
“At times I had to borrow money from my family and tap into my retirement (savings), the typical trials and tribulations of starting a new business,” Angela recalled.
Like the hacienda, which is called Hacienda San Juan and dates to 1880, the business they launched is firmly rooted in Yucatan’s soil. Known simply as “Angela Damman” (www.angeladamman.com), the enterprise makes use of sustainable, organic agricultural techniques, native plant fibers and the traditional skills of indigenous residents to manufacture luxury fashion accessories like women’s handbags and home decor items such as pillows, rugs, ottomans, lamps, and hammocks.
“We have a team of about 50 residents from the Telchac area, including men who go out and harvest the plants and women who spin and weave the fibers,” Angela said. “We take the fiber to the artisans who spin and weave in their homes. The process involves the full cycle from harvesting the plants in the ground to selling the final product to consumers. So it’s a unique business model.”
The couple’s commitment to a “sustainable” and “ethical” approach to business means they use no fertilizers or pesticides in cultivation of the native plants like henequén and mother-in-law’s tongue, and they pay the artisans before all other expenses.
Scott describes the arrangement as a “win-win” for his family and the local laborers and artisans.
“The artisans don’t have to get up at 4 a.m. to travel by bus to jobs like cleaning rooms in Merida hotels,” he commented. “They earn more money and can work in their homes and use and expand their traditional skills with textiles.”
Demand for the enterprise’s products has gradually grown, and the couple and their team are now producing as much as they can to supply clients like retailers in Merida, Mexico City and other cities throughout Mexico. While they have received many inquiries about expanding into the U.S., including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City, the couple is still exploring how to fulfill demand from a potentially giant export market.
“We want everybody in the cycle to benefit. When we reach new markets, the artisans benefit,” Angela observed.
What does the future hold for the couple and the children, daughter India, now 13, and son Finley, 9?
“I see us continuing in sustainable agriculture and product design,” Angela reflected. “The kids are in school here and are perfectly bilingual. Finley is playing on a national age-group soccer team. But further down the road – who knows? The world has turned upside down for us before, and we adapted to the situation.”
Scott added, “You take what life throws at you, and you adapt and grow as you learn from new challenges.”
–Robert Adams
