Maitri Learning was founded somewhat accidentally by a Montessori teacher who was trying to buy the perfect materials for her classroom and couldn't find them anywhere. Now, the materials she created (based specifically on the precise directions received in her AMI training) are used by Montessori teachers, parents, and teacher trainers around the world. We named ourselves after the Buddhist word maitri which means having a compassionate, kind heart. We keep the principle of maitri at the front of all of our business decisions. Maitri is a green, eco-friendly, fair-wage, right-livelihood, woman-owned business. All of our products are CPSIA compliant. We pay all of our employees at least $15/hour, which should be our country's national minimum wage. Our prices reflect these fair labor costs along with the costs of environmentally-sound paper, toxin-free laminate, and inks made without ozone-depleting substances. Our manufacturing and shipping practices are environmentally-friendly. We print our cards on high-quality, acid-free, heavyweight papers made from tree-free and/or recycled fibers; we use a laminate with a non-toxic adhesive; we print our correspondence and catalogs on recycled papers; we use inks/toners that don't deplete the ozone layer; we use recycled/recyclable shipping materials; and we recycle everything we can. All products are made in the USA with careful attention to the environmental impact of our work. We have a small footprint.