Consumers are moved by the story. Anyone who was from Syria, had visited Syria or worked with Syrians embraced our products. They shared stories of their time in the old cities of Aleppo, and Damascus. The scents took them back to their family gatherings. Some cried, others felt joy reminded of their grandmothers homes. And those who had nothing to do with Syria, were moved by the stories, beauty and scents of our products. Everyone who smelled it, bought it!

Syrians want the right to earn their income! Social Impact business trumps nonprofit handouts. While there is room for donating to nonprofits who help millions, Syrians are entrepreneurial and Syrian artisans are passionate craftsmen and women who desperately want to keep their traditions alive. The artisans we worked with went out of their way to perfect the products. They embraced working and being given the opportunity to  share their beautiful products with American consumers. Creating markets is the best thing we can do for communities in war torn countries.

War zone product development needs infinite patience. The three of us had come from a nonprofit sector working with NGOs supporting Syrian communities impacted by the conflict. We knew patience was required. The degree to which it was, surprised us all. A process that would take two weeks in Los Angeles, needs 9 months in Syria. Perhaps that is why social impact startups need “PATIENT CAPITAL”.