Our Philosophy
ETHOS
At Kahiniwalla, we believe in designing a world built on compassion, creativity, and imagination. We are committed to providing families with toys and gifts rooted in quality and design. We appreciate the importance of our actions, which is why we intentionally curate items produced ethically and sustainably with respect for the makers, the environment, and humanity. Our brand story honors each individual who touches the products we sell - from the artisans who handcraft each toy to the future leaders who play with them.
Made to Last
We want you to always be smiling. Delivering products that are thoughtfully designed and long-lasting is our way of showing it. Made entirely by hand using high quality natural materials, each item is truly one-of-a-kind. We hope our quirky, beautiful toys and gifts become family treasures passed down to others.
Intentionally Designed
We care deeply about the way we source our products and run our business. Our design philosophy is built around love for the environment, humanity, and social equity. It is this passion for making the world a place filled with empathy and boundless imagination that motivates us and what we do.
Ethically Made
From the raw materials sourced to create each product to the artisans who handcraft it, each piece is thoughtfully made with respect for the maker and the planet. By building strong relationships over years of collaboration and sourcing directly from the makers themselves, we ensure fair wages and healthy working environments.
OUR COMMITMENT TO FAIR TRADE
Austin and Marita Miller first traveled to Bangladesh with an idealistic desire to change the world and to help those less fortunate than themselves. Fortunately, over the eight years that they lived there, they began to realize that Bangladesh was actually changing them in ways that they could not have imagined.
As their perspective shifted, they moved from a colonialist pursuit that sought to impose a particular vision of culture and faith, to a stance of listening and learning and the willingness to be wrong. After letting go of their own agendas, their relationships began to flourish with the strong foundation of authenticity minus the barrier of unspoken motives. Adjusting to all of these changes as a young, growing family had its stresses but as their sons began to grow up with Bangladesh as their home, it slowly became home for their whole family.
Austin eventually found his passion as a product designer working with Bangladeshi designers to create products marketable in the US. Through his work, he discovered Pebble. He was amazed at their business model and began meeting with Pebble’s founders to learn from them. When the Millers returned to their home in Ohio after being gone for years, one of Pebble’s founders asked if they would be interested in distributing Pebble in the US. They eventually said “Yes”, started Kahiniwalla, and have spent the past years building up Pebble’s distribution in the US. By partnering with Pebble, the Millers have been able to marry their values of compassion, imagination and sustainability. They delight in the fact that their work puts sustainable handmade toys into the hands of the next generation.
SOCIAL IMPACT
We carefully select the brands we work with. We are honored to have worked with Pebble Child for over a decade now. We love the work they are doing and the impact they are making within the communities they work with.
1,500+
women employees. Pebble trains and employees women, providing them with a sustainable income.
Rural and Urban
centers employ women in intentionally chosen locations throughout Bangladesh.
35%
of Pebble’s production centers are strategically located to protect Bangladesh’s ecosystem and endangered species.