In a world dominated by industrial immediacy, Maki Warmi—whose name means “women’s hands” in Quechua—stands as proof that the value of craftsmanship and respect for nature’s rhythms can succeed in the most demanding markets around the world. What began as an interior designer’s dream to bring visibility to the work of women weavers in northern Argentina has become a global brand that exports identity through a strategic collaboration with FedEx.The entrepreneur behind this Argentine venture is Glenda Saintotte, who spent her childhood in General Alvear, a small town in the province of Corrientes with just 9,000 inhabitants. For nearly a decade, Glenda worked as a flight attendant, a position that frequently took her to northern Argentina. During layovers, she began to immerse herself in the reality of local communities.
“When I saw the artisans’ work, I would think, ‘How can I bring this art, these unique pieces, to Buenos Aires, where they are not so common?’” said Glenda, recalling how the beauty of the woven pieces inspired her to find ways to bring greater visibility to this ancient art form.
However, it was not until the end of 2019 that she decided to take the definitive leap. She left her stable job to launch her business. With only a few artisan contacts she had kept from her travels, she began bringing in her first rug samples.
Looking back, Glenda recalls, “Everything was built from the ground up. I didn’t have significant capital.”
From The Patio of Her Home to Community Impact
At the beginning, in 2019, without a store or showroom, Glenda made the most of the resources she had available.
“I would welcome customers on the patio of my home. I placed the rugs there, and people would come to see them”, she says.That intimate beginning, fueled by word-of-mouth through social media, became the foundationof what is now a globally exporting brand.
At the beginning of 2020, although the pandemic lockdown seemed like the worst possible scenario for a business that had only recently begun to grow through online sales, Maki Warmi experienced an unexpected boost. As people spent more time in their homes, demand for itsproducts increased, and the business grew organically.
In 2022, Maki Warmi was one of the companies recognized by FedEx through its support and resources program for small and medium-sized businesses. This recognition enabled Glenda to build a storage facility for women weavers in Santiago del Estero. Located within the community, the space eliminated the need for them to travel elsewhere and helped protect wool from wind, dust, and rain, allowing them to better plan their work.
As demand continued to grow, Glenda’s impact on local communities expanded as well. Today, Maki Warmi supports and coordinates the work of more than 50 families of textile artisans across Santiago del Estero, Salta, Catamarca, and Jujuy.
The “Buen Diseño” Seal and the Secrets of the Land
Maki Warmi’s proposal stands at the intersection of traditional textile craftsmanship and contemporary interior design. Its Sacha Collection (sacha means “forest” in Quechua) recently received the “Buen Diseño” seal, awarded by Argentina’s Ministry of Economy, recognizing pieces made entirely from sheep’s wool with a lifespan of up to 50 years.
Its production process is also entirelymanual: from shearing the sheep and spinning the fibers to boiling the wool to disinfect it. The dyeing process uses natural pigments extracted directly from local vegetation. Browns come from the sap of the carob tree, greens from yerba mate, grays from the jume plant, and muted pink tones from tree roots. Because the process is entirely handcrafted, each piece requires between four and eight weeks of work.
“At a time when everything moves so fast, it is extremely important for us that people understand artisanal work and respect the pace of the weaving process. Every rug is unique and irreplaceable, and every artisan—as any true artist would—leaves their own signature on the piece,” the entrepreneur explains.
FedEx and Its Role in Export Growth
For a small entrepreneur managing this level of production, logistics are the critical link to competing globally, and expanding into international markets presented significant challenges.
At this stage of growth, FedEx became the key facilitator that helping Maki Warmi broaden its reach and enter new international markets. Through the support of the world’s largest express transportation company, which provides access to more than 220 countries and territories, Glenda gained the confidence to offer her designs beyond Argentina’s borders, building a network of international resellers, specialized onlineretailers, and brand representatives abroad.
In this way, she strengthened her B2B (business-to-business) wholesale model while also expanding her e-commerce channel to bring her products directly to consumers around the world.
“From a logistics standpoint, working with FedEx has been extremely easy. We have always had the confidence we needed to enter international markets in a secure and straightforward way,” Saintotte says reflecting on the ease of the export process.
Today, pieces created deep within Argentina’s native forests are sold in Germany, Australia, Palma de Mallorca (Spain), and the United States, with a particularly strong presence in cities such as New York, Miami, and throughout California.
Maki Warmi’s story reflects how the vision of an entrepreneur can transform an initial idea into an international success story. Within this ecosystem, FedEx has established itself as a strategic partner by supporting small and medium-sized businesses from their earliest stages and helping them overcome the logistical challenges.
“At FedEx, we seek to be the engine that empowers entrepreneurs to expand their reach. Providing logistical accessibility allows us to connect the tremendous talent of our region with the world and transform local projects into sustainable global businesses,” says Mayra Aguiar, FedEx Sales Manager for Argentina and Uruguay.
With an air cargo route connecting Argentina and Miami, a model that integrates robust global infrastructure, specialized international trade guidance, and tailored solutions for e-commerce and the B2B segment, FedEx helps expand business reach and accelerate the transformation of local projects into companies capable of scaling globally.