5 Questions with Roberto Milk

Handmade marketplaces around the world all continue to evolve as the artisan craft industry changes. The mission behind many of these marketplaces is the same as the magazine at its core. We all want to help artisans build thriving businesses. I am pleased to share more information about a new marketplace that is being launched in the US by an experienced marketplace operator. In this issue, I welcome Roberto Milk, Cofounder and CEO, NOVICA.com & Handmade.com.

1. Can you share the story of how NOVICA started?

The concept for NOVICA.com is deeply rooted in the values instilled by my family. Growing up in Texas, my brother Andy, our best friend Charles Hachtmann, and I had a fascination with collecting handmade keepsakes during our family travels abroad. Our parents loved to explore different cultures—and we also spent significant time visiting Peru, where my mother was from. During those trips, we naturally grew to appreciate traditional regional crafts, and we also witnessed firsthand the vast inequalities artisans faced—many couldn’t sustain a reasonable quality of life despite their incredible talent.

My family's involvement with pioneering positive change goes way back. My grandparents were missionaries who devoted their lives to community-building in Vietnam, China, Cuba, and Mexico. They greatly inspired us, as does my mother-in-law, Armenia Nercessian, who left her significant global role as a United Nations human rights officer to help co-found NOVICA. She sees NOVICA as a great way to continue her life’s work of empowering communities in need.

A personal highlight for me was when my grandmother in Peru became one of NOVICA’s first artisans, knitting gifts for customers around the globe. 

We launched NOVICA.com to bridge the gap between remote artisans and appreciative customers worldwide, making it possible for artisans to earn more than ever before, and customers to pay less than traditional retail prices by purchasing direct. We now operate ten Artisan Empowerment Hubs around the world. For artisans, these hubs handle all aspects of every sale, from sourcing, photographing and interviewing artisans, to uploading, promoting, and shipping their products.

NOVICA’s impact group now stands at 100,000 individuals—including featured artisans, artisans’ assistants, and the family members they support. On any given day you’ll discover more than 70,000 different handmade offerings at NOVICA! Everything from fair trade home decor, to unique jewelry, to gorgeous ethical apparel. The NOVICA.com platform has grown to become the world’s largest fair trade marketplace, changing so many lives for the better every day. Really, it’s incredible.

NOVICA is more than a business—it’s a movement to uplift artisans, celebrate cultural heritage, and make a meaningful impact on the world by uniting creators from diverse nations with appreciative customers everywhere.

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