Tegu

Tegu is all about giving people the tools they need to build — to kids (and adults, we’ll readily admit from experience!), the capacity to build creative structures with beautiful magnetic wooden blocks, to Hondurans in Tegucigalpa, the capacity to build sustainable futures with steady income. Honduras is a country with widespread poverty and broad underemployment. Tegu is committed to addressing these social challenges head on and proving that a high-end manufacturing business can be based in Honduras. The firm allocates a portion of each sale either toward school scholarships for kids who would otherwise be working in the Tegucigalpa trash dump or to fund tree planting (the decision is up to the buyer). It’s these actions that make Tegu the type of business Agora can’t get enough of: its product and its managing ethos are the result of impeccable design.

What They Do:

Usher in the reinvention of the traditional wooden building block by incorporating magnets, generating new building and play possibilities. Tegu has a vertically-integrated manufacturing and commercialization structure with a strong social mission focused on job creation, Honduran reforestation, sustainable forest management, and youth education.

Why They Do It:

Chris and Will Haughey’s vision is to become the world’s most innovative premium toy company and, in doing so, build a world-class, high throughput manufacturing business in Honduras. Their brand is growing in global recognition, and they appear motivated by increased interest and distribution. Behind the scenes, they’re crafting a supply chain which seeks to bring ethical demand to the Honduran forestry industry.

How They Make an Impact:

Tegu’s name is derived from the Honduran capital where its blocks are manufactured, Tegucigalpa. Helping the nation of Honduras is a foundational priority of the company. To measure their impact, Tegu tracks:

• Hectares of trees planted
• Students provided full scholarships (number of funded school days)
• Permanent jobs created

Where They’re Heading:

Tegu is pursuing and securing additional distribution contracts with major US retailers. Separately, after showing with great acclaim at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in February of 2011, they are planning to expand to Europe. The education market remains a target area as they continue to receive interest about getting Tegu blocks into the classroom.