“You cannot teach creativity; all you can do is let it blossom, and it blossoms in play.” Recognizing that children can build motor skills, creativity, sharing, and even fractions and scale simply though play, Tegu set forth on a mission to create a toy with hidden lessons. The wooden building blocks come in various shapes, all of which are set to a 30mm scale so as to insure that they all work with one-another, are designed with strategically placed magnets on the inside completely concealed from sight. With this cool feature, children can use the blocks to build animals, cars, houses and much more. However this is not the most compelling fact about Tegu.

The company is based out of Honduras and has quite a unique story. Setting it apart from both charity’s and multi-million dollar company’s, Tegu took a unique approach to starting their business. While most companies think of ways they can make money and a desired product, and charities think of ways to help people, Tegu does both. When Chris and Will Haughey, the founders of Tegu, were starting their business they began by asking the question “Could we create a for-profit company based in Honduras that would foster a positive social impact through its business?” They began by finding an issue, framing it, and working from there. The issue was not the lack of an innovative magnetic building blocks however. The issue the brothers discovered was 30% unemployment in a struggling economy in South America.

Tegu could have built their thriving company in America, closer to friends, family, and their primary market, but that was not their mission. The factory in Honduras is self-sustaining and employs otherwise jobless Hondurans giving them the chance to make a living and earn promotions. Tegu discovered a new way of charity combined with business and they are thriving. They were the first of their kind, making them the best of their kind, and they are proving it.

More than just a bracelet, Pura Vida does an amazing job of creating meaning. Based out of San Diego, this amazing charity/ business run by a pair of college friends finds a way to make beautiful bracelets, support charities, and also support Puerto Rico natives Jorge and Joaquin.

In 2010, San Diego locals Griffin and Paul made a post-graduation trip to Puerto Rico. After meeting Jorge and Joaquin, Paul and Griffin decided to by a load of bracelets from them and take them back to California. They decided to make them available for sale in a local boutique. Once they saw how quickly they sold out, they decided to take advantage of the newly discovered market.

They quickly started a business/charity and began selling thousands of bracelets worldwide. Developing the lines to make each design attributed to specific causes, the founders of the business began to give Pura Vida meaning and a name, Pura Vida simply meaning Pure Life in spanish. Once their name was well know, the company expanded to more than simply bracelets. Today the Pura Vida line is a world renowned company carrying all sorts of jewelry and the community it caters to is like no other. Based out of San Diego, the company works in Puerto Rico to support the locals there, while also donating to support an array of causes such as depression awareness.