When I read this I was actually thinking the exact opposite of Larry. I think those prices are too high to be competitive in the oversaturated handmade textile market in Guatemala and even less so in the states especially for a newly formed group that lacks unique products (the bags are pretty but morrales aren’t exactly novel) and does not have an established name that immediately confers quality and stability.

I do not mean to be discouraging, just realistic. Even the “feel good” businesses that buy products from artisan groups are still businesses, and business try to minimize costs in order to maximize profits.

Some things to think about:

From what company are the women buying their thread? Bulk purchases directly from a company are obviously much cheaper than the women getting their thread through a store, and the chosen company is also very important. There are a lot of cheap brands of thread in Guatemala that will lose their color when washed (or caught in the rain), but there are some good companies too. You’ll just have to pay more for the quality (worth it).

Is the co-op officially organized and registered with the government and therefore in possession of a NIT and paying taxes to SAT? Many buyers will only do business with a legally formed co-op/association that will be able to hand over a factura. Sales made with a factura should already have the taxes (IVA and ISR) built into the price, which adds 17% to the cost of the product. If those prices don’t already reflect paying taxes then the price with them will be ridiculously high.

Have you thought about a pricing scheme based on labor hours per product as opposed to size? A smaller product with a very intricate design is more time consuming to make than a larger product with a simple design, and a price scheme based solely on size does not reflect that.