While living in Cape Town, South Africa, Be Sweet founder Nadine Storyk Curtis became smitten with the creativity and beauty of the handcrafted goods she found there. Determined to bring these products to a wider audience, and create economic opportunities for these talented women, her colorful and compassionate business was born.

EcoSalon: I read that you were living in South Africa when the idea for Be Sweet was born, why were you living there and what was the evolution of Be Sweet?

Curtis: I married a South African and three weeks after our wedding, 9/11 occurred and we soon decided it was an opportune time to go to Cape Town for a year. We downsized our interactive design company and moved six months later. As soon as I got used to driving on the left side of the road, I became enamored with the innovative craft and design movement that is so prevalent in South Africa as well as the way that soulful men and women are empowering previously disadvantaged people to produce products. I was inspired to be a part of it all and bring wearables to the U.S. marketplace.

Who taught you to knit? Do you still knit? How does your own artistic expression inform Be Sweet?

My mother taught me to knit. She went to RISD for apparel design and has always designed and made clothing and textile products for a living. Absolutely I still knit - more than ever although I am a very basic knitter. Hats and scarves are the extent. My goal for the year is to learn how to crochet. My creative expression drives Be Sweet. I not only choose products that have a positive ethos behind them but that are beautiful and fun and innovative and will inspire others to be creative.


It would seem to me that it would be really difficult to do business in South Africa. What have been some of the challenges?

South Africa has first, second, and third world aspects. I am lucky to have a fabulous network of family and friends that help with some of the challenges of trust and communication. An unfortunate challenge for me in the beginning is when a group would hear my American accent, they would quickly raise the price quote for goods and services.

How has working with these women changed you? What have they taught you? What have been some of the biggest surprises?

My whole life has changed because of Be Sweet. I have learned so much about how difficult life can be and what the basic needs are of people. I am reminded of how important education is to improve the world. The women I work with in South Africa are so creative with materials. They are able to create things out of the most basic recycled objects - like a chip wrapper for filling in our Heart Brooch Pins or left over yarn that goes back into the production cycle to make our Knobby Balls.


The yarn is so beautiful and I was struck by the unique colors. Do you leave it up to the artisans to create the colors? What are the dyes and paints made from? Are they made from supplies indigenous to the region?

Yes, for the most part the artisans come up with our color palette. Sometimes I request a specific color or Magic Ball color combination.

For all of our yarns, we use the highest quality low-impact dyes that are imported from Germany.




In a way, you have created a global knitting circle with these women. How do you communicate this global approach in your everyday life?

I love that Be Sweet is an international company. We are supporting artisans in South Africa and inspiring creative people to be a part of the story around the globe. We just started exporting our yarn line to a store in Sweden and Austria.

Be Sweet is a dream project of yours and I am curious how you work to help these women reach their goals and their dreams?

Every year I visit South Africa and visit each of the groups that I work with. I have done a series of interviews to find out what their dreams and goals are. With the increase in sales we are creating more and more income that is directly helping our artisans better their lives. And we donate 3% of our proceeds back to a local school in the rural region where our mohair is produced to help fund educational programs that helps uplift the community.

Be Sweet donates 3% of proceeds to The Shaw School which has provided computers, paint and a new floor to the classroom. How is the school doing now and what are the latest improvements?

The school has four new computer systems and a new copy machine. Recently, we were able to provide keyboards for helping the younger children learn how to type before they are on the computers. We have also been able to fund and facilitate the final classroom improvements including security bars on all of the doors and windows to prevent theft of supplies. Our goal for the end of this year is to start a lunch program for each student.

Is there anything we can do locally to help provide for this community or others like it in South Africa?

Be Sweet has a Shaw Park page on our website - Be Sweet Products - where we accept donations for the school.  All is much appreciated and goes directly to the principal of the school to pay for programs we have assigned.

Lastly, what are some of your eco-friendly habits or anything that you are doing in your community to spread the eco-love? And do you have any guilty eco-oopses that you can't live without?

Well, my family and I are landscaping our yard and we have opted to plant low water usage plants like thick grasses and succulents to limit the amount of water we have to use. I'm a big water drinker and so we just installed a water filter on the kitchen tap to cut down on plastic bottle usage. I'm afraid to say that I'm terribly guilty of forgetting my to-go cup at the coffee shop. I look forward to that morning ritual of a stopping for a cup of joe.

Thank you for stopping by, Nadine!


Note: Be Sweet has been accepted into the Fair Trade Federation.

Images: Be Sweet