Hacienda Crafts, a community based social enterprise, was established in 1994 to augment the incomes of the farm workers at a sugarcane plantation in Hacienda Santa Rosalia by providing opportunities to create products from natural materials. This was in response to the social and economic issues in Negros Island due to the Philippine sugar industry crisis of the 1980’s. What the land and economies of scale could no longer provide, entrepreneurs emerged to fill the gaps.

Armed with design skills and based in the hacienda, the opportunity soon became a business. Hacienda Crafts started with producing placemats, candle holders, and seasonal items for export, buying materials gathered and sourced locally. Eventually, it entered the home and interiors sector with lamps, furniture, and art pieces. From the initial group, Hacienda Crafts has since expanded its supply chain to other artisan individuals and groups all over the Philippines.

At Hacienda Crafts, traditional and utilitarian craft skills like basket making, fishnet weaving, and loom weaving are expertly incorporated to form creative contemporary and market-oriented design, intended to reflect the hacienda lifestyle as well as elevate and preserve cultural traditions and heritage craft. Hacienda Crafts items furnish homes, resorts, hotels and restaurants in the Philippines and abroad. Ninety percent of the artisans are women who work from home and are able to go about their lives while earning an additional income for their families.