Accompanied only by a suitcase of souvenirs gifted from her nieces, Zellipah emigrated from Kenya to Kansas to pursue higher education. Experiencing culture shock on arrival, Zellipah struggled to cement her new identity by selling souvenirs from her home country as a way to communicate in her new surroundings. She saw an opportunity to support women weavers like her mother who supplemented smallholder farming by selling handcrafts. Thus Gitzell FairTrade was born.

Since 2020, Gitzell FairTrade has invested over $1.5 million dollars in the communities it partners with, in the form of direct purchase orders. As a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation, Gitzell FairTrade works with several hundred women weavers in Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Senegal and Uganda to produce hand woven baskets for decor, shopping and storage.