Get To Know Us Better
Our Mission
Ten by Three® reduces poverty in developing countries by using our unique Prosperity Wages® model to pay for artisan products. This exclusive patent pending financial model creates a cycle of entrepreneur driven growth resulting in permanent financial independence for the artisan.
Nonprofit & Beyond Fair Trade
Ten by Three® is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that believes the rural poor in developing countries are quite capable of pulling themselves out of poverty. We use a financial model that we have been perfecting for more than a decade. Our exclusive model allows artisans to earn significantly more than fair trade wages for their products.
Prosperity Wages
With every basket purchased, Ten by Three Prosperity Wages model is being used to pay our artisans. This portion of the profit is significantly higher than fair trade wages, in some countries reaching more than six times fair trade. Read more about our Prosperity Wages model here.
Why not Fair Trade Certified?
Because we’re BEYOND Fair Trade.
Did you know most ‘fair trade’ vendors are not actually fair trade? That they pay for official certifications that are often loosely verified?
Most importantly, did you know the majority of fair trade vendors have no direct connection with the artisans making the products, and therefore, they are not in control of the actual unfair wages these artisans get? Or their lack of human rights and safe working conditions?
Ten By Three is different.
Our artisan connection has been recognized by the United Nations. We don’t deal with a middleman. We work directly with our artisans and pay them at least 2.5 times the typical fair trade wages. Plus, our program goes well beyond giving artisans enough for basic food and necessities. We promote financial independence through entrepreneurship. At the end of our program, each artisan has enough funds to open 3 small businesses thanks to our commitment to purchase 10 baskets a month.
Our focus is also on the communities as a whole. We’ve built schools and water wells and donated educational supplies and medical equipment. The photos and artisan stories you see on our website are not given to us as marketing materials. They are the real-life experiences of our founder and CEO Theresa Carrington visiting and working with these talented women and men.
Our new name Ten by Three was inspired by the Prosperity Wages formula we pioneered. When we purchase 10 products a month from an artisan over the course of a few years, our artisans are able to fund 3 businesses of their own and reach a sustainable end to poverty. In honor of this groundbreaking formula, our new name represents our expanding range of products.
Our Technology & Models
Founding Story
To truly understand Ten by Three, you need to know more about our founder Theresa Carrington. She considers herself an ordinary person, who on an ordinary day decided to ensure good really can come from a bad situation.
- Olin Cup – Washington University in St. Louis (2004)
- Developing Innovative Solutions Award – Focus St. Louis (2005)
- Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award – SSDN in St. Louis (2006)
- The Global Growth Award – St. Louis World Trade Center (2007)
- Women Influencing Now Award (2008)
- St. Louis Award (2008)
- Woman on the Rise Award – Illinois State Treasurer’s Office (2009)
- Madison County Illinois Recognition (2010)
- Social Enterprise Day Declaration (2011)
- Humanitarian of the Year SIUE (2013)
- 25 Most Influential – St. Louis Business Journal (2013)
- Emmy Award – St. Louis Mid America Chapter (2013)
- YWCA NonProfit Leader (2013)
- PR Daily Best ReBranding (2015)
- GS1 Supplier Excellence Nominee (2015)
- 100 Most Influential Global Leader (Nov. 2015)
- United Nations Intercultural Innovation Award (2016)
- GS1 Small Business Standards Success Award (2016)
- Emmy Award – St. Louis Mid America Chapter (2016)
- Queen Mother of Development Zaare, Ghana Enskinning (2016)
- St. Louis Post Dispatch (August 2004)
- KSDK-TV Channel 5 Interview with Jennifer Bloom (May 2005)
- Woman’s Day Magazine (October 2005)
- National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences TELESPHERE (July 2006)
- St. Louis At Home Magazine article “Counting Her Blessings” (November 2006)
- KPLR-TV Interview (February 2007)
- KFTK Interview Allman in the Morning (October 2007)
- St. Louis Magazine article “Dream Weavers” (September 2008)
- KMOV-TV Great Day St. Louis TV appearance (November 2008)
- KFTK Interview Allman in the Morning (November 2008)
- Theresa Carrington profiled “Breakdown, Breakthrough” by Kathy Caprino (Barrett Koehler) (November 2008)
- KSDK Show Me St. Louis Interview (November 2008)
- KSDK-TV News Channel 5 at noon (December 2008)
- Click here for more media reports from August 2004 to present
- Skandalaris Family Foundation becomes founding sponsor of Ten by Three (January 2005)
- Southern Illinois University Challenge Grant (April 2006)
- Skandalaris Family Foundation Grant (January 2006)
- Skandalaris Family Foundation Grant (May 2007)
- Washington University Grant (December 2007)
- Private Family Foundation Grant (May 2008)
- Sony BMG and Country Artist Sara Evans grant Ten by Three usage rights for “To Be Happy” (May 08)
- Spoke Marketing Grant (June 09,June ’14, July ’15)
- ATT Grant of 50 Phones (February 2011)
- Energizer sponsors Grand Opening (September 2011)
- Blessing Basket is born (April 2004)
- Enters first Whole Foods Market (November 2004)
- Built and opened Doone Girls’ School in Nyariga, Ghana with Whole Foods Market (November 2005)
- Blessing Baskets® are chosen as an official gift for presenters at the 2006 Daytime Emmy Awards in Hollywood, California (April 2006)
- Partners with the Missouri Botanical Garden to reduce poverty in Madagascar and end the destruction of the forest (July 2006)
- Enters 100th store nationwide (December 06)
- Weavers worldwide begin graduating out of poverty into independent entrepreneurship due to our Prosperity Wages® model (April 2006)
- Partners with Washington University to study results of poverty reduction work in Madagascar (March 2007)
- Launches Seeds of Blessing – a direct marketing company designed for American women to help impoverished women worldwide. (2007)
- Releases music video “To Be Happy” made possible by Sara Evans and Sony BMG (November 2008)
- Sells it’s 65,000th artisan product (December 2008)
- Prosperity Wages paid to directly artisans tops U.S. equivalent of $2,000,000 (May 2009)
- Partners with Energizer to conduct third world lighting research (June 2009)
- Built and opened community center in Nyariga, Ghana with Whole Foods Market (July 2009)
- First ever Graduate from Poverty® ceremony in Ghana, Africa. 25 artisans graduated and are sustainably out of of poverty. (June 2012)
- Graduated 25 Artisans in Bangladesh out of poverty (March 2013)
- Graduated 15 Artisans in Ghana out of poverty (June 2013)
- Built and opened a computer center at the Nyariga Doone Girls School in Ghana, Africa in collaboration with Whole Foods Market (June 2013)
- Graduated 11 Artisans in Ghana out of poverty (June 2014)
- Built new bathroom facilities for teachers and students at the Nyariga Doone Girls School in Ghana Africa in collaboration with Whole Foods Market. (June 2014)
- Graduated 29 Artisans in Bangladesh out of poverty (January 2016)
- Awarded the Intercultural Innovation Award by the UNAOC and BMW Group (April 2016)
- Graduated 13 Artisans in Ghana out of poverty (October 2016)
- Theresa Carrington named Queen Mother of Development of Zaare and Nyariga areas of Ghana (October 2016)