You wanna find out more about the whole fair trade thing, but you don’t know where to start. Well, here’s a post to help you get started (This post also has the side benefit of helping me consolidate my fair trade links :P ).
If you’re a newbie, check out the Coffee Crisis series first. This’ll give you an idea of why coffee farmers are getting such a raw deal these days, and how fair trade can give farmers a fair deal.
Once that’s gotten you motivated, you’ll want to find out where your local Fair Trade Coffee Shops are. Follow the link for a continuously updated list of US fair trade coffee shops — and feel free to email or comment to let me know about others :)
Wanna get even more involved? Then check out the city or area-wide fair trade coalitions near you. A list of national and international coalitions are here.
If you’re confused by all the labels and organizations — FLO, TFUSA, IFAT, etc. — Here’s a quick rundown of what they are.
And if you really wanna get into the nitty gritty — Check out the Fair Trade Certification Challenges series, to get the details on the current issues and controversies surrounding fair trade certification.
Then, find out what the movers and shakers in the fair trade coffee biz are saying need to be improved or changed about fair trade certification.
Fair Trade isn’t just about coffee! I work for a small importer of Fair Trade products, and we are counting on the green and fair trade movement to spread the word about buying ethical bags, jewelry, and home decor. Every product we sell helps provide a livelihood to artisans in small villages in India, so every dollar you spend on fair trade hand-made goods makes a difference. We’ve put up some information on Fair Trade from our perspective, check it out:
http://www.handmadeexpressions.net/pages/about-fair-trade
Comment by Mark, Fair Trade Guy — August 15, 2008 @ 2:35 pm
IMO, “fair trade” is more of a marketing scam than solution to rural poverty. Most of the additional $$ paid does NOT end up with farmers, and existing trade flows are pretty “fair”. What’s needed is more free trade.
More: http://www.kysq.org/pubs/freefair_NC.pdf
Comment by David Zetland — September 13, 2008 @ 8:46 am
my school started this awesome fair-trade coffee business, called Higher Grounds Cafe, which has gone on to win numerous awards and recognitions, including Junior Achievement’s Best Company of the Year. They even sell the coffee online now!
http://highergroundscafe.org/
Comment by Hannah D — May 6, 2009 @ 10:12 pm
Good luck with your biz, Mark. And congrats on the award, Hannah!
Comment by Siel — May 15, 2009 @ 3:21 pm