I was born and grew up in Bogotá, Colombia. It wasn’t always easy for my parents to financially support my education, so I was fortunate to finish my studies in economics and start a professional career. I spent five years as a broker in Colombia, analyzing the market and deciding proper investment strategies.
Amalena founder
Johanna María Mejía Sanchez:
Founder of Amalena
Even though my professional career started in the financial sector, I’ve always been interested in social issues. I made a difficult, but important, decision in my life when I decided to quit my work as a trader in Colombia and move to Austria to continue my academic career. I first got involved in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector through my Master’s thesis for my studies in International Business and Law. I conducted my thesis field research in Colombia where I was able to have direct contact with local mining communities. They quickly won my heart, and since then I knew that this was the sector where I was destined to work.
Moving abroad gave me the opportunity for a fresh start. I decided to follow my dreams, and to combine my personal interest in social issues with my academic and professional background. It is my passion to contribute solutions to social problems and environmental issues through responsible business and international trade. That is how Amalena was born.
In our lives we are always confronted with making decisions. Sometimes we make the right one, sometimes not. To make the world a better, cleaner and fairer place every consumer has the power to make a choice in purchasing the right product.
I believe in a chain of love. Beyond the transparency and ethics, behind the supply chain of Amalena, each person and resource involved in the production of our jewelry are treated with honor and respect. Our gold is mined responsibly with tenacity and passion. Our artisans not only put work, effort and commitment in the jewelry -they put their passion into it. From the mines to each beautiful piece, we create a chain of love… and we invite everyone to be a part of it.
