Arrieta Roman Family

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I'm Maureen Roman and I'd like you to meet my family — my husband Juan Carlos and our two children, Genesis and Jean Carlo. Juan Carlos and I have been married since 1990. He began learning to work with pita fiber in his family's workshop when he was nine years old. All of us are artisans.

When we got married, I discovered that I love everything about this art and, little by little, I learned at his side. Sadly, work became more and more scarce and we had to find another way to earn an income. We began searching for items that were well accepted by shoppers, that were utilitarian and, above all, that had a cultural identity.

"Today we craft beach chairs, hammocks and handbags with handwoven fabrics we create by recycling remnants from fabric factories.

"All our designs are created with a technique we inherited from Juan Carlos' parents. Thanks to him and the skills he taught us, our family has learned to love the traditions of Costa Rica and the cultural identity we strive to preserve. We continue teaching them to others in our community, as it's a wonderful opportunity for another source of income.

"As a family, our dream is for our designs to be widely recognized but, even more, for people to appreciate the legacy behind our work. Everything we make is crafted completely by hand with much love and dedication.

"We believe that by preserving our traditions and ways of working, we can achieve many things. This is a dream that is beginning for us and we are sure that it will bring blessings."