Julia Tarnow

A Peruvian entrepreneur and social reformer who empowered women through cooperative businesses.

Julia Tarnow: The Woman Who Built an Economic Revolution

Julia Tarnow (1905-1989) was a visionary Peruvian entrepreneur who transformed the lives of thousands of women through her pioneering cooperative ventures. Born in Arequipa to a Jewish immigrant family, she combined her background in textile arts with a commitment to social justice, creating economic opportunities in a male-dominated society.

Founding the Cooperativa de Mujeres Artesanas

In 1928, Tarnow established the Cooperativa de Mujeres Artesanas, the first women's cooperative in Peru dedicated to textile production. This initiative provided training and market access to rural women, enabling them to sell handcrafted textiles internationally. By 1950, the cooperative employed over 1,200 women and became a model for fair trade practices decades before the term existed.

Innovative Business Models

Tarnow developed a unique profit-sharing system where members received 60% of sales profits, with the remainder reinvested into community projects like childcare centers and literacy programs. Her 1943 report on cooperative economics became required reading for Latin American business schools.

Education & Advocacy

In 1955, she founded the Escuela de Artesanía Femenina, a vocational school teaching traditional weaving techniques alongside modern business skills. Her advocacy led to the 1958 Peruvian Law 15,083, which recognized women's cooperatives as legally protected entities.

Legacy

Today, the cooperative she founded remains operational as the CoopArtesanas, sustaining over 3,000 members. Tarnow's work inspired similar initiatives across Latin America, including the famous Escuela de Artesanías in Oaxaca, Mexico. Her autobiography Hands That Build Empires (1967) remains a key text in feminist economic history.