Here’s a video that briefly gives the story of Tegu, “a toy company on a mission to improve the way your kids play and create social change in one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere.”
If you don’t have time to watch the video, here’s a good brief description of what Tegu does and how it got started:
Brothers Chris and Will Haughey didn’t start Tegu with toys on their mind. In fact, the company began with the simple notion that Honduras needed businesses which offered living wage jobs. Home to beautiful hardwoods, the country could have been the perfect spot for sustainably manufacturing any number of wooden products. However, the brothers were inspired by classic wooden toys on a trip to Europe and embarked on a quest to breathe new life into a old industry. Today, Tegu blocks inspire children while addressing unemployment, neglected natural and human resources and the need for entrepreneurship in Honduras.
I saw the founders do a presentation at Redeemer’s Entrepreneurship Initiative last spring and thought the concept was a good example of seeking to help address poverty through a useful business model.
So, for any interested in seeking to address global problems through business, Tegu is another innovative example to stimulate some ideas. And, for any who are looking for a toy that your kids will find stimulating and more profitable than another Veggie Tales DVD (nothing against Veggie Tales!), the Tegu blocks might be a solution with some potential.