Buzz and Cecile Blumm and their teenage children, Andrew and Madeline, first visited Morocco during a spring break adventure. The family crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to Tangier, traveled to Chefchaouen in the northeast, then on to legendary Marrakech, and through the Atlas Mountains and Draa Valley to Zagora and the Sahara Desert in the southwest. During their journey, they were captivated by the beauty of the varied landscape, the graciousness and rich culture of the Moroccan people and the quality and artistry of their traditional crafts.
In the ensuing year, as Buzz was preparing to transition from his 19-year career at a local sign manufacturer, the concept of Moroccan Buzz evolved. Buzz, Cecile, Andrew, and Madeline were eager to travel back to Morocco and bring its beautiful and unique hand-crafted products to share with a larger audience.
The Blumm Family created “Moroccan Buzz,” which:
• Supports artisans and their families.
• Perpetuates traditional Moroccan arts and crafts.
• Brings quality, authentic, unique products to its customers.
• Supports education and women's enterprise in Morocco.
• Purchases each item at a fair price, as closely as possible to its source.
NEPAL
In 2013, Buzz and Andrew embarked on a greatly-anticipated adventure: a 70-mile roundtrip, 10,000-foot elevation gain trek through the spectacular Himalayas from Lukla, Nepal to the base camp of Mt. Everest. After nine days on the trail, they had a bit of time in legendary Kathmandu to savor the Nepalese culture. They discovered a small family-owned shop selling yak leather goods made by their three artisans. The yak leather bags and totes were particularly intriguing: sturdy and unique, and very different from Moroccan leather goods, but compatible with Moroccan Buzz's business model. Buzz and Andrew selected several styles of the bags to test the market back in the U.S. The yak leather bags and totes have proven very popular; they've become part of Moroccan Buzz's regular product line.
GIVING
Moroccan Buzz donates a portion of its profits to organizations consistent with their values and business model, notably the High Atlas Foundation, founded by former U.S. Peace Corps volunteers, which supports sustainable development including women's cooperatives in rural Moroccan communities The benefitting communities participate in the prioritizing, developing and managing their projects. We are proud to be a "Made in Morocco" partner with the High Atlas Foundation.
Moroccan Buzz has also donated to StoveTeam International, and fundraisers for local non-profits including First Place Family Center, Festival of Trees, our local schools, and many more.