Coupon Book Feature: ButterPear

Artists at ButterPear!

This Friday, we will be sharing another amazing refugee- and immigrant-run business in our holiday fundraiser coupon book, ButterPear! If you are interested in receiving a coupon book, you can go to our donation page, donate $25 or more, and we will send you a book with some great deals to amazing businesses in Cleveland! Or, if you donate $10, we will send you an US Together bracelet to show our appreciation.

ButterPear was founded by Becky Trout two years ago; however, the collective is made up of many African-Refugee artists, and the social enterprise was built as a place for African artists to sell their items. When we asked why Becky and her colleagues chose to open ButterPear, she said:

“We wanted to open up ButterPear to create a new stream of income for a community of artists in Liberia, West Africa. While I was in Liberia I wanted to find ways to give back to the community while providing equity and dignity to the makers. While some internet is available in West Africa, it is hard to sell things on Etsy or other saturated platforms due to shipping costs or restrictions. That's where ButterPear became a site-directed to serve artists with incredible talent but limited access. Since opening in 2017, ButterPear has been able to expand its reach to artists in Kenya, Congo, Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa and working with Refugee Artists here in Cleveland.”

A handmade mask made by a Cleveland refugee. The CDC recommends wearing a cloth face mask outside the home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

You can find all sorts of goods on ButterPear’s website, such as clothing, baskets, bags, holiday ornaments, jewelry and much more, all handcrafted by African artists. You can also find masks, made in Cleveland by African refugees in our community! In a Cleveland19 news article , Becky describes how for each mask purchased ButterPear is also paying it forward, by “sending food, disinfectant and other masks to [the artists] home country,” while paying the artists making the masks a living wage.

ButterPear is more than just a shop of cultural goods. It's a collective that brings cultures together for a greater purpose. 1/3 of the profits are to pay the artists which provides income to their families. Another 1/3 is directed at educational support for school fees or programming to our community leaders, and the rest goes back into the company to do it all over again! ButterPear loves connecting our newcomers back to their culture and showing them the significance and value it has here in the US. 

We hope you are inspired to support ButterPear, US Together, and the other businesses featured in our holiday coupon book by donating to our holiday fundraising campaign! Your donation will directly help us continue serving the Cleveland refugee community during these uncertain times. We truly appreciate your support.