ABOUT US

Soltera Leather was started by Jeff and Karlie Ruiter also founders of the Guatemalan Charity, Ordinary Nurses. Their charity provides pediatric medical care to revive malnourished infants in rural Guatemala.

While serving the mothers and their infants, it became clear that a truly sustainable solution to the malnutrition would be to create income opportunities.

Mothers desperate to feed their children, cannot, for jobs are scarcely found. These mothers come from a primarily Mayan indigenous background where weaving and artisan work is deeply rooted in their culture.

Jeff and Karlie combined the availability of locally sourced leather, with the incredible talents the women possess. With countless hours of training and practice, these women began creating a quality product you’re sure to love.

A cornerstone to Soltera Leather is offering ethical employment. These women are loved, valued and earn a truly living wage. 

Our mission is to offer ethical employment to single mothers of rural Guatemala by empowering them to craft high-quality, leather goods. Our purpose is job creation, your purchase simply sustains that.

Soltera Leather produces all goods in the villages of Guatemala where single motherhood is a crisis and income opportunities are scarce. The single mothers of rural Guatemala face oppression and incomprehensible poverty.This often forces these women to take employment in unsafe conditions for an unfair wage.

With more than 40 million people in modern slavery, there is more slavery today that at any other time in history. We're passionate about ending modern slavery and promoting fair employment in places where women desperate to provide for their families, often fall victim. Your purchase means standing with these women and shifting toward an ethical wardrobe.




SOLTERA STANDARDS

ETHICAL EMPLOYMENT

Single motherhood is a crisis in the villages of rural Guatemala and women who are desperate to provide for their families, often fall victim to modern slavery. 

We train single moms is rural Guatemala to craft high-quality leather goods. Women once without safe or purposeful employment are now earning a living wage and benefit from health insurance and bonuses. Job creation is our purpose, your purchase simply sustains that.

 

NATURALLY TANNED LEATHER

The leather utilized is the highest-quality, full-grain leather, and is vegetable tanned. This century old, tanning method is natural. Utilizing bark and leaves as tannins means the run-off from the tanning does not contaminate echo-systems and your skin is not exposed to the chemicals of chrome tanning.


SWEET SIMPLICITY

We’ve gone through many design variations in search of perfection. Our small team hand makes every product from start to finish, offering a stunning simplicity sure to turn heads.




MEET THE FOUNDERS

Jeff and Karlie founded the 501©(3) non-profit organization, Ordinary Nurses. This charity exists to provide pediatric medical care and community development to revive malnourished infants in rural Guatemala.

Jeff graduated with a BS in Business with an emphasis in Accounting and a minor in Biblical Studies from BIOLA University. Karlie graduated with a BS in Nursing with a minor in Spanish from the University of Northern Colorado. They took several trips to Guatemala and realized the extensive need for infant health care, especially related to malnutrition and preventable disease. After establishing the non-profit and building a clinic, they started the social entrepreneurship of Soltera Leather to bring industry to rural Guatemala. The malnutrition their non-profit fights is highly associated with the scarce income opportunities in the area. Empowering single moms to craft leather and earn a living wage means women can provide for their children.

Jeff and Karlie have been married for five years and live in rural Guatemala.

Visit Ordinary Nurses