Meet Antonella Raschio | Founder/Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Antonella Raschio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Antonella, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Living in California for more than two decades hasn’t dimmed my connection to my homeland, Peru. Every time I go back to Peru becomes an opportunity to infuse my living space in California with vibrant elements, creating a tangible link to the rich culture and beauty of my distant home. Motivated by this enduring passion, I eventually embarked on a journey to establish a brand that not only reflected my deep ties to Peru but also celebrated the artistry of the women artists who bring forth unique and colorful creations. Over time, I decided to create a brand that was inspired by unique and colorful pieces all handmade by women artisans in Peru.

This is how “Nuna” [nuh-nah] was born. In Qechua, one of the official languages spoken in Peru, Nuna means the spirit and soul of our Mother Earth. The concept behind the name is to convey the vibrant energy of our culture to those who bring our handcrafted, colorful pieces into their homes. Nuna, in essence, serves as a bridge between my California abode and the vibrant spirit of Peru, connecting individuals with the essence and creativity that defines our beautiful country.

What should our readers know about your business?
On my day to day I work planning, producing and executing events. I love styling different parties and bringing my customer’s ideas into life. I have realized over the years that I love vibrant colors the most. It’s like a part of my personality that gets expressed through colors and I relate with vibrant threads of culture, passion, and creativity.

I believe that what sets our brand apart is that we empower and support low-income women artisans by sharing their art with the world. We are committed to details, quality, and customer satisfaction. Our products are hand-made using products such as alpaca, wool, organic cotton, natural feathers, and follow traditional dyeing processes. Moreover, the fact that our pieces are hand-made and thanks allows us to produce custom-made products. The process of creating each piece takes time and each one is different.

I’m proud to share a bit of my country’s essence through its vibrant colors and beautiful handcrafts. It’s not easy, I’m still learning a lot, but my dream is to have my own boutique someday. I’m on a journey to make art that represents Peru in a fun and unique way. Nuna offers all handmade products to decorate your home like Dreamcatchers, wall art, mirrors, accessories to wear like baby alpaca scarfs, gloves, beanies, blankets, and much more to come soon like unique pieces of silver jewelry.

I feel very grateful to have the opportunity to meet and work with different artisan women from which I have learned a lot.

In the future, we are building our Etsy shop and website to facilitate the shopping experience.

Our clients love the colors, material and quality of each of our pieces. We appreciate each one who supported us through our first year and continue to purchase from us.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in a beautiful city called Livermore, California. The first stop would be a wine tasting. We have many wineries with spectacular quality wines and breathtaking views of the valley. Just to mention a few we have McGrail Winery, Arroyo Cellars, and Wente Winery. Then, I would go to have lunch or dinner in downtown Livermore. We have a wide variety of restaurants and my favorite is Locanda Wine Bar which specializes in Italian food, tapas, signature cocktails, and a wide variety of wine lists. Then, I would take a walk through the center and visit the different clothing and gift boutiques. Lastly, I would go to see a movie at the Vine Cinema, which is a cute and historic theater, but first I would make a stop at the donut shop called “Donut Wheel” (for me they are the best donuts I have ever tried and it is open 24 hours during the weekend). 

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
livermore community has been super supportive at the pop up markets. I would like to recognize Joanne Tan from Good Morning Maxwell who supported my small business at each market.

Also, I would like to shoutout Dulce from a beautiful store called Sweet Hope Soap Co located in Downtown Livermore as well. She makes from scratch the best self care products such as soaps, shampoo, sanitizer, lotions and much more! Everything is high quality, natural ingredients and the best fragrance.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/nunaperuvian