Who is behind the Konuz online shop who wants to bring a piece of Moroccan tradition to Germany? Konuz wants to be more than just a sales portal. There is also philosophy behind it in the truest sense of the word.
Konuz Online Shop is run by the Sayed / Konuz family. Hassan Sayed was born in Morocco and has lived in Germany since 1986. Before that, he studied philosophy for a few semesters at the Sorbonne in Paris. At the same time, Hassan’s interest in getting involved in society and actively helping people grew.
But of course the Sayed / Konuz family also has a wife. After many years in Germany, Hassan married Fatima, who also came from Morocco, in Morocco. Two months after the wedding, the two came to Germany together. Both now have two children together. Fatima studied Arabic literature and computer science. She worked as an Arabic teacher for many years. Ms. Sayed has been on parental leave since the birth of her first child and is mainly responsible for bringing up both of them. But despite the responsibility for her two children, she also does volunteer work. She is involved in the social field, among other things, as a voluntary Arabic teacher for children.
This social commitment connects the Sayed / Konuz family. Both feel very close to their home country and, above all, to the living conditions there. After all, Morocco as an emerging country after Europe still has to struggle with some economic problems. Not least because of the close proximity to Europe and the demand for cheap products from North Africa. Hassan and Fatima Sayed both love nature and natural life. After all, traditional handicrafts have a centuries-old tradition in Morocco. This knowledge gave rise to the idea of founding a company that sells traditional, but still modern, handcrafted products from Morocco online. From this idea, the Sayed / Konuz family online mail order gradually emerged. Konuz means something like “treasures” in German.
So that the products are really handcrafted and traditionally made in Morocco, the Hassan Sayed / Konuz family has established and maintained contacts to agriculture and Moroccan handicrafts for 10 years. The Sayed / Konuz family does not sell cheap mass-produced goods, but rather quality products from authentic Moroccan artisans. It hardly needs to be mentioned that all food and cosmetics offered are free of any chemical additives.
As modern people, it is also important to the Sayed / Konuz family when it comes to sales that both men and women manage the company on an equal footing. In North Africa, the issue of equal rights is still far from being taken for granted as practiced by the Sayed / Konuz family. In this context, the hand-pressed argan oil should be pointed out in particular. Some women’s cooperatives in Morocco have now specialized in the production of this high-quality natural product. In this way, the women can actively contribute to the livelihood of families in Morocco. This automatically gives women more weight in Moroccan society.
Not to be overlooked is the fact that a world cultural heritage is supported by the trade in argan oil from Morocco. The argan trees in the south of the country have been on the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage since 1999. The Sayed / Konuz family also makes a contribution to the continued existence of this natural area in southern Morocco, which is worth preserving, through fair trade in high-quality argan oil. The trade in the “gold of Morocco” helps the locals to keep the ecosystem on the edge of the Sahara intact by tending to the centuries-old argan trees.
The Sayed / Konuz family works out of a social claim. She would like to support both the Moroccan handicrafts and the arts and crafts. Unfortunately, many traditional professions in Morocco are threatened by the price pressure in Central Europe. They are often replaced by poorly paid factory jobs. The Fayed couple actively promote fair trade by selling argan oil and prickly pear oil. Konuz is actively taking a stand against the exploitation of Morocco’s cultural treasures. The name of the company shows that.
For the Sayed / Konuz family, it is not just about the maintenance of customs. Traditions should be preserved, but the products and skills can and must also undergo development. And a development for the better! After all, handicrafts and applied arts can only develop if they are allowed to experiment. After all, standardized articles hinder creativity and thus also progress. Traditional handicrafts and typical Moroccan arts and crafts should therefore also be interpreted in a modern way. It is not a question of museum pieces, but of everyday objects for modern people today.
Through the direct marketing of traditional Moroccan products, the centuries-old craftsmanship of the Berbers can be kept alive and build a bridge into modern society. This is what the Sayed / Konuz family is committed to.
Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful of your life
KONUZ is a young company that promotes traditional products from Morocco. Natural products in which we place great trust because they are 100% organic and made by hand. Regardless of whether it is about our cosmetics offers or decorative accessories – KONUZ products keep Morocco’s long-established traditions alive. KONUZ participates in fair trade to enable women and men in family businesses to live with dignity from their work. We are committed to maintaining jobs in our home country of Morocco. This also applies to disabled people whom we would like to see integrated into working life.
With the purchase of our artistic glasses and teapots you also support our goals of protecting natural resources of the environment, as these KONUZ products are made in a creative and gentle way from recycled material and decorated by hand. The argan tree population in Morocco was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. Our argan oils and prickly pear seed oil are made by hand in a traditional way by women’s cooperatives.
Do something good for your body so that your soul feels like living in it
Tradition lives in Morocco. Knowledge is passed on from generation to generation, especially in the arts and crafts. At KONUZ, we therefore attach great importance to real craftsmanship when it comes to decorative items. With every product made of glass, brass, thuja wood or clay, you acquire an exclusively manufactured one-off piece from us, which was mostly created in small family businesses. It is always a unique item that will not exist again. Small deviations from a product image are therefore no reason for complaint, but only proof of the authenticity of the handcraft.
In the KONUZ fund you will find, for example, glasses, carafes and trays for the Moroccan tea ceremony or lamps and lanterns, bowls and ashtrays as well as drinking glasses, vases and caskets. And original gift sets are also in our repertoire.
The best way to get to know our products is to visit our online shop at www.konuz.de.
100% handmade 100% Morocco