In Conversation with Laura Cave of Just Trade

This week, Michelle and Lee are joined by Laura Cave, founder of Just Trade, a Fairtrade jewellery and accessories company celebrating its 20th anniversary. Laura's story begins long before the business, with a degree in jewellery and silversmithing at Birmingham University, a chance connection to a community project in Peru, and a one-way ticket booked on the strength of a summer job at the Sainsbury's cheese counter.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Laura ended up volunteering in a shantytown in Lima at 21, without a word of Spanish, and why she felt completely at home
• The origins of Just Trade, and how a misunderstanding over payment left a group of Peruvian artisans without income, prompting Laura and her sister-in-law to step in
• The 10 principles of fair trade, and why Laura is passionate about marketing products on the strength of great design, not sympathy
• The incredible stories of Lizeth and Naty, artisans who found confidence, skill, and purpose through their work with the Hope Jewellery Project
• How Just Trade supported its workers through the COVID-19 pandemic, organising food parcels and medicine contributions from the other side of the world
• Laura's creative projects in Peru, including pinhole camera workshops, a community exhibition with a private view and rice pudding, and a tube ticket installation that people still talk about 25 years later
• Working with her two sisters and brother, the value of collaboration, and why constraints often spark the best ideas
• Growing up dyslexic in a family that celebrated adventure, and why she only discovered it during her master's degree at the Royal College of Art
• A conversation about neurodivergence, authenticity, and learning to work with your brain rather than against it
• Laura's one piece of advice for building courage and confidence: keep going!

Guest links:

Instagram: Just Trade and Nice Flowers London

Website: Just Trade

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Find Lee at:

• Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.iggulden

Find Michelle at:

• Web: https://www.thinkingspacecoaching.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingspacecoaching/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmichellerogers/