Reducing our footprint
Using upcycled and recyclable materials and working to reduce our carbon footprint across every product we make.
Our Impact — 2014 & Beyond
Made by Hand.
Felt by Heart.
From the shores of Lake Victoria to our studio in Karen, every Dragonfly Cracker carries the weight of a story, craftsmanship and purpose.
We are not a factory. We are a circle of artisans, all working toward a future for ourselves and a planet that needs protection.
20,000
Paper Waste Secured since 2021 in Kgs
5000
Hyacinth Weed Transformed in Kgs
30+
Artisan Groups Across Kenya
60+
Families Supported
PEOPLE
The hands behind the magic.
At Dragonfly, we have never once confused craft for industry. Our team is the heartbeat of this brand. A family of artisans, each with their own unique abilities, who wholeheartedly pour their talent into every single cracker we make.
Assembly Line · Karen, Nairobi
The Super Women
Our assembly team is powered overwhelmingly by women. They have mastered the art of transforming sheets of handmade paper into a celebration. Each cracker is individually rolled, stuffed, crimped and tied by hand with extraordinary precision.
Print Studio · Karen, Nairobi
Master Screen Printers
With over 30 years of collective experience, our printers are the custodians of our creative legacy. One screen, one colour, one careful pull at a time, they turn the humble hyacinth paper into vivid, colourful and festive works of art.
Across Kenya
30+ Artisan Groups
From Mr. Dudu who transforms bottle tops into heirloom keepsakes, to James who carves bird figurines from fallen branches, to coastal makers crafting leather key rings from reclaimed material — their stories are inside every cracker we send into the world.
The Super Women — Assembly
"It provides a sense of self and independence — to strive and want better for myself."
Abby Juma
Supporting 2 children
Colour Mixing
"Brings a sense of joy knowing that you’re part of someone’s smile."
The Colour Maestro
Supporting a household of 5
Printing — The OG
"It’s a source of stability and income and I appreciate it very much."
Master Printer
Supporting a household of 7
I take pride in knowing that something I made with my own hands will travel across the world to become part of someone's special celebration.
Planet
Every material choice we make is a deliberate act towards sustainability.
Water Hyacinth
The weed that became the wrapper
Water hyacinth doubles its population every two weeks, choking rivers and depleting oxygen for aquatic life. Since 2021, in partnership with Mike Otieno on Lake Victoria, we have transformed this ecological villain into our signature paper — blended with kraft, shaped entirely by hand.
5,000kg+
hyacinth weed repurposed since 2021
Kraft & Hyacinth Paper
Only the most honest papers
We work exclusively with kraft and hyacinth paper — no plastic, no laminate, no synthetic coatings. Every cracker, gift bag, greeting card, and tag is fully biodegradable. Designed to biodegrade as gracefully as it was made.
20,000kg
paper waste orders secured & repurposed
Low impact studio
Old wooden frames salvaged from dismantled rooftops are upcycled into screen-printing frames—giving reclaimed timber a second life.
Solar powered
Our studio is supported by solar power, significantly reducing our draw from the local grid and minimizing our carbon footprint.
Rainwater harvesting
Collected rainwater supplies our studio's operational needs—returning the rain to the cycle that began with Lake Victoria.
EU-certified inks
Printed with water-based, EU-certified eco-inks that reduce harmful VOC emissions to near zero. Beautiful for the earth.
Air-dried & sun-cured
No kilns. No energy-heavy machinery. Our paper is sun-dried in the Kenyan light that gave it life. Each layer waits its turn.
FSC-certified & snap
The satisfying crack at the table is crafted from FSC-certified card, responsibly sourced and fixed with non-toxic vegetable glue.
How It's Made
01
Harvest & Pulp
Invasive water hyacinth is harvested from Lake Victoria. The plant is pulped by hand in small batches on the shores, then spread and sun-dried into richly textured sheets of paper — nature's own stationery.
02
Hand Screen Printing
One screen, one colour, one careful pass at a time. Our master printers hand-pull every pattern. The screen is washed. The ink is left to air-dry. Then the next layer waits its turn. No shortcuts. No machinery rushing the craft.
03
Cut, Crimp & Assemble
Each printed sheet is hand-cut, hand-creased, and rolled around the FSC-certified snap. The filling — soapstone sculptures, woven baskets, brass rings, beaded keychains — is curated from Kenyan artisans and hand-stuffed with care.
04
Ribbon & Finish
Our ribbons are made from recycled polyester satin and natural fibres — sisal, hemp, and raffia — chosen for their texture, beauty, and ability to be upcycled or composted. Inspired by our founder Helen's childhood of saving every bow and scrap, they are made to be kept, repurposed, or returned to the earth.
05
Packed & Dispatched
Crackers leave us in recycled cardboard boxes — no virgin pulp, no plastic — packed in our visually recognizable, upcycled newspaper bags with handles made from fabric offcuts.
Crafted slowly. Mass production never entered the conversation. Every cracker impacts at least 60 families. What you hold at the table is not a novelty. It's a culmination of many Makers!
Product
Product
What is inside a Dragonfly Cracker
Not a cheap plastic toy. Not a paper hat of no consequence. Inside a Dragonfly cracker you will find a gift — a small, artisanal treasure made by hand in Kenya, chosen to showcase the extraordinary talent that grows right here on this soil.
Our crackers arrive for Christmas, for birthdays, for weddings, for the everyday moment that deserves marking. Each one is plastic-free, biodegradable, and entirely handcrafted. Each one has a story inside it.
Bespoke orders are available — designed from scratch for corporate gifting, weddings, or any occasion that calls for something genuinely made with thought.
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Rooted in Kenya. Reaching the world.
Our cracker gifts do not come from one place. They come from every corner of this country — from lake shores and coastal workshops, from highland studios and Kajiado plains. A map of Dragonfly is a map of Kenya at its most ingenious.
Roots
Nairobi — Karen
Main Studio & HQ
Main Studio & HQ
Lake Victoria
Hyacinth Paper Source
Hyacinth Paper Source
Watamu
Coastal Artisan Partner
Coastal Artisan Partner
Kajiado
Artisan Community
Artisan Community
+ 11 more counties: Kiambu · Nyeri · Nakuru · Uasin Gishu · Kisii · Machakos · Makueni · Kitui · Taita Taveta · Kilifi · Mombasa
N — ≈ 130 km
"We work with over thirty different artisan groups across Kenya. This creates a beautiful cycle — customers get unique keepsakes, and traditional craft knowledge continues to thrive."
- Dorine
Our Commitments
What we stand for,
every single day.
Living Wages
Every member of our team — from assembly to printing to artisan partnerships — earns a fair, living wage. No compromises.
Fully Biodegradable
Every component — paper, ribbon, inner gifts — is either biodegradable, reusable, or recyclable. Nothing goes to landfill without purpose.
Women-Led
Our assembly line is powered primarily by single mothers. Dragonfly is a business built on and for women — their resilience runs through every cracker.
Circular Economy
We design for reuse and regeneration. Every material choice supports a circular system that gives back to the earth.
Makers
The makers we
couldn't do without.
Impact is not built alone. Behind every Dragonfly cracker is a network of makers — each with a craft, a story, and a community that depends on this work.
Mike Otieno &
the Hyacinth Initiative
On the shores of Lake Victoria, fishermen once struggled to navigate through islands of weed. Mike Otieno saw something the rest of the world hadn't: he saw paper.
He established an initiative to transform the most invasive aquatic plant on earth into an eco-resource, boosting local livelihoods and providing sustainable raw materials for artisan businesses like ours. Mike's work has since become a global model for turning ecological crisis into community enterprise.
His hyacinth weed now lives inside every Dragonfly cracker.
2021
Year of partnership
20,000kg
Paper waste orders secured
5,000kg+
Hyacinth weed repurposed
Working Towards
What comes next.
50,000+ crackers
Sustainable production volumes per year — and still craft. Every single one, made by hand.
Full-time, all year
Full-time employment, all year round, for every artisan in our network — no seasonal drop-off.
Dragonfly Crackers · Kenya
Crack into something good.
Whether you're a supplier seeking transparency, a retailer seeking purpose, or a customer seeking meaning—there's a place for you in our story.