We were lucky to catch up with Natalia Acosta recently and have shared our conversation below.

Natalia, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

At Tipico Tico we have 3 main missions: Ethical Trade, Environmental Consciousness, and Cultural Awareness.

Tipico Tico was started as a way to bring awareness of our cultural background in Guatemala. To showcase all the beauty it has to offer and the incredible craftsmanship our artisans exude. The sustainability aspect is very important to us and we’ve implemented that by creating collections that use second-hand traditional fabrics, which we’ve sourced directly from the local textile markets, that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

We partner with local artisans to source and create all of our collections. It is important to us that we offer fair and above-adequate pricing on all our items. To ensure fair wages, we allow our artisans to set prices, which exceed the local minimum wage. We pride ourselves in being part of the slow fashion movement

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Tipico Tico is a conscious brand that began in June 2018 with two ideas in mind: 1. How can we honor my grandfather (Tico)? 2. How can we positively showcase Guatemala? We’ve thought of celebrating my grandfather by incorporating him into our brand’s name. Típico is a widely used term in Guatemala to reference any traditional handmade good. Tico honors my grandfather and the pride he had for his country. And that is how the name Tipico Tico was born.

When we first started our brand we carried our now best-seller, the Vintage Camera Strap. Which repurposes a traditional embroidered belt, made by Mayan women, and has given it a new purpose to carry a camera or handbag. When creating the Vintage Camera Strap, it was important to use to hire a local leatherman to reinforce the belt with local leather, for extra durability and to support the local economy. We are so proud to say that we still work alongside the same leatherman we initially started with. After getting to him, his family, and his talents, we expanded our product line into handbags.

Guatemala is known for its beautiful textiles, which represent different departments within Guatemala and tell multiple Mayan legends. I am very proud that we can preserve these precious textiles and create something new. We ethically source all the materials needed for each of our products and source directly from the artisans. As we create each of our products, we try to be transparent as possible by showcase who we are supporting directly and the process of creating each item we have in our shop.

What we want the world to take away from our brand is that their support directly impacts people and their beautiful artistry. Our products aren’t made in a factory but they actually run through the hands of pure talent. Talent that comes from such a beautiful place. What sets our brand apart is our drive in showcasing our artisans and embracing that we are a community. From the people who create our product to those who shop and share our shop. We are a community of like-minded individuals who believe in spreading the good word of Guatemala and cherish hand-made products.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Our social media community started off very small and has grown steadily. I studied photography in college and it was a way for me to connect with my grandfather as it was one of his largest passions. It was unfortunate I didn’t find my passion for photography when he was alive but I get to share with our amazing community on Instagram. I love being able to share photos from our adventures in Guatemala, sharing the faces of our artisans, and creatively showing our products. When Tipcio Tico first began we were still sharing our travels to Guatemala and the products we carried. Now, in addition to our old content, we are sharing how our brand is growing and where they can shop in person.

When starting to build your social media presence, it’s important to show your individuality and tell your own story. Your audience was to see how you’re unique. creative, and hear your voice. It’s easy to compare yourself to others and see how much they are growing, but as long as you stick to what is true to you and share content that you enjoy creating, then that’s all that matters.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I have the best co-founder for Tipico Tico anyone could ask for. The second co-founder of Tipico Tico is my mother, Alejandra. It was because of her, Tipico Tico, has the values and passion we have today. It was important for her to celebrate her culture, just like her father did, and help the people of Guatemala. My mother was born and raised in Guatemala. She came to the U.S. at the age of 2 but spent extended periods of time traveling back and forth. In her adult life, when she settled in Los Angeles, she noticed there wasn’t a community that celebrated her culture and so the idea sparked. She reached out to me if I was interested in starting a business together and using my creativity to be the voice of Tipico Tico. We are coming up to our 5th year in business, and there isn’t anyone else I’d rather be on this journey with.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tipicotico.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/tipico_tico
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/shoptipicotico
• Tik Tok: @tipico_tico

Image Credits
Natalia Acosta