A closer look at the craftsmanship, the material, and all the little details behind our raffia storage houses from Madagascar.

Handmade in raffia - the story behind our storage houses 

Our raffia storage houses are handmade in Madagascar by skilled women with proud crafting traditions behind them. This kind of work takes time, experience, and plenty of careful steps before a storage house is ready - and that is exactly why each one has its own unique look. No two houses are ever quite the same, and that is exactly how we like them. 

Raffia comes from the raffia palm and is a natural material with lots of texture and character. Before it becomes a storage house, the raffia is dyed in beautiful shades and dried in the sun in Madagascar. 

And because it is natural material, there will always be small variations. The colors may differ a little; the texture may change from piece to piece, and no two houses will ever look exactly alike. We think that only makes them even more lovely. It gives each house its own little personality and a real sense of handmade craftsmanship. 

Our storage houses are made from handwoven raffia strips, which are then assembled and shaped into the finished baskets. 

The weaving itself actually depends on the leaves of the raffia palm, because the length of the leaves helps decide how long the woven pieces can be. So in many ways, the material gets to set the pace and the framework. 

Everything is shaped by hand, and that takes both time and care. A set of storage houses in small, medium, and large can take up to 38 hours to make and involve up to four people along the way. 

Behind each house are not only many hours of work, but also many years of experience. We have worked with the same raffia suppliers in Madagascar since rice was founded in 1998, and the partnership has been part of the rice story from the very beginning. We have grown together side by side and shared the journey these storage houses have been on since the very first one was made. 

That is part of what makes them so special to us. Because when we look at them, we do not just see storage. We see strong women, craftsmanship, traditions, and a story that has been with us for many years. And maybe that is what we love most of all - that the houses combine something practical with something beautiful, while also carrying a story you can truly feel.