Not long ago, in a country far, far away….
It’s the Summer of 2003, Robert Chatwani and Priya Haji, two San Francisco Bay Area-based thirty-somethings, perfect strangers at the time, and future founders of WorldofGood.com, are walking similar paths at two different open-air markets—just miles away from one another in Western India.

Each is striking up conversations with the local artisans and each is hearing the same story over and over: "We need more shoppers like you; greater access to markets. We would be able to create so much more opportunity for ourselves, our families, and our communities if we just had more people buying."

And the entrepreneurial wheels in both of their heads begin to turn. They both think that there must be a way to link these talented artisans—and thousands more like them—with the millions of shoppers back home that buy $55 billion worth of mass-produced, factory- and sweatshop-made stuff every year. Musn't there?

Aaaaand…action!
Back home, our two wily do-gooders began to craft their plans of attack.

Robert, a young rising executive at eBay, took an idea of using e-commerce to connect artisans from developing communities with U.S. consumers straight to the top of the food chain, securing the support of founder Pierre Omidyar, then-CEO Meg Whitman, and other key players on the company's innovative, forward-thinking leadership team.

Priya, a seasoned entrepreneur with two social enterprises under her belt, convinced a couple of her newly minted MBA buddies to quit their jobs and start their own company, a fair trade wholesale business they called World of Good, Inc.

It wasn’t until two years later that Robert and Priya met and realized they needed each other to complete their missions.

Full circle
In fall 2005, after an introduction from a mutual friend, one serendipitous (and very, very long) phone call later, the idea of the WorldofGood.com marketplace was born. It was a no-brainer, and a perfect match.

Robert had, in eBay, a platform where $60 billion worth of goods are sold every year. Plus, more and more was being spent on sustainable products by increasingly conscious consumers. Distribution and global marketing reach? Check!

Priya had, in two years at the helm of World of Good, Inc., built the relationships and knowledge necessary to smoothly navigate the global fair trade market. Supply chain know-how and industry credibility? Check!

It was only a matter of time before together they had recruited a mighty team of do-gooders and rallied hundreds of like-minded organizations together—all for the first time—around one simple but pretty groundbreaking idea: to build an online destination where people could shop for products that make a positive impact on the people and the planet.

Now, those same artisans from those same open air markets in Western India—as well as thousands more like them from around the world—can sell their wares to millions of shoppers browsing the WorldofGood.com website.

One idea, two crafty minds, and a windfall of support from kindred spirits all over the world, and we are well on our way to figuring out how to reach the big, lofty goal: steady jobs; healthy, happy families; and a positive, promising future for millions.