The next time you place a unique African item on your table, you'll be able to know exactly where it came from and that the person who made it was paid for their work. And this is thanks to Benú by Vicky Giannakopoulou, a socially conscious project that supports 'fair trade'. Vicky decided to leave behind a successful 25-year career in the field of Marketing for multinational and Greek companies, during the domestic crisis, to find an outlet in the study and involvement with handmade jewelry. In September 2014, searching for new trends and materials related to the jewelry industry, I visited exhibitions abroad. There, I met artists from all over the world creating unique decorative items with natural or recyclable materials but with a peculiarity. They had managed to marry their folk traditional technique with European contemporary design. Quickly, I realized that we spoke the same language and felt the same eagerness. To make the world love our creation. Only they - as I understood in our conversation - had one more concern. To manage by the end of the same day to offer food, shelter, and education to their children.​

The decision and personal commitment to support these artists was something that did not require a second thought. The name Benú came to signify this effort from the fact that ‘Bennu' is the Phoenix bird in Egyptian, a beautiful creature connected with the sunrise and rebirth and that according to Greek mythology, when it grows up and begins to feel weak it builds a nest on top of a phoenix tree and burns using sacred and purifying herbs. Then, it is reborn from its ashes and becomes young and beautiful again. This bird symbolizes the strength of humans to be reborn through the difficulties of life and to become even stronger. The personal contact with each artist separately or with the certified communities they belong to, was successful and became an occasion to move on to the next step. In creating an online store, www.benuarts.com, so that I can offer the world the opportunity on one hand to enjoy these special works of art that carry the passion of the artists and their love for the environment and on the other hand, by acquiring them, they can feel the joy of contributing and helping our fellow human beings who live in a distant place on the planet under very difficult conditions and away from the lights of publicity. These artists, besides their ability to create with their hands, with inexhaustible patience and perseverance objects that have no equal, also bear another unique gift, that of hope and optimism. A gift that distinguishes human nature and seems to work as a deterrent to any obstacle. Both on benuarts.com and in the 'warm' exhibition space created by Vicky in Nea Erythraia, you find a constantly changing quality selection of items that aim to help a wider range of artists but also constitute a renewed proposal for decoration for anyone who embraces the fair trade goal, but also the philosophy of Benú in general. Each of us is unique, so why not the objects with which we want to decorate our personal space where we should feel beautiful and familiar? We can all offer help to our fellow human being who needs it even if he is miles away from us, but also contribute to a better tomorrow, embracing nature. The mission of Benú is to create a union and promote those artists who align with the principles of 'fair trade', honor their ancestors for the art they taught them, and respect the environment.