
The image above is the Fair Trade logo for the United States.
The image to the right is the Fair Trade logo world wide.
But What does Fair Trade mean?
This is a question we
are frequently asked whenever we talk about our Winter Goddess products or about
our business philosophy. Wikipedia
describes fair trade as "an organized social movement that aims to help
producers in developing countries to make better trading conditions and promote
sustainability." In layman's terms that
means growers and producers are paid fairly for the goods that they bring to
market, while receiving the benefits of an increase in their own community's standard
of living.
In our world's Free Market system, many businesses seek the
easiest, cheapest ways to get the commodities that they need, with little
regard to the individual grower. Most commodities
come from small family-run farms. These farms have little market access and
thus rely on middlemen to bring their products to market. Sometimes these middlemen cheat the farmers by
offering a lower price for what they grow.
Most have little recourse. If
they refuse the middleman's offer, he will just get his goods from the farmer
down the road. These unscrupulous practices are part of what causes
poverty to abound in developing countries.
In some scenarios, growers and packers are subjected to harsh or even
dangerous working conditions, facing exposure to pesticides, hazardous
chemicals, and in some cases, even child slavery and abuse.
A Fair Trade system helps to alleviate this suffering.
Fair trade eliminates the middleman by establishing a direct
trade system to counteract this cycle. Fair Trade cooperatives pay farmers a fair price for their goods
so farmers have enough money for food, clothes, and other life necessities. Not only do the farmers receive more money,
but a portion of it is channeled into community projects such as water wells,
education and better health care, which raises the standard of living for
themselves and their communities.
Producers in the Dominican Republic for example have even set up associations rather than cooperatives so that individual farmers can each own their own land. In addition, crop pickers and packers in larger co-ops enjoy better and safer working conditions. These cooperatives also avoid the use of child labor.
Producers in the Dominican Republic for example have even set up associations rather than cooperatives so that individual farmers can each own their own land. In addition, crop pickers and packers in larger co-ops enjoy better and safer working conditions. These cooperatives also avoid the use of child labor.
Fair trade cooperatives follow special standards and
practices which help the growers produce superior products. They reduce or in some cases eliminate the
use of chemical fertilizer, practice erosion prevention, and the protection of
forests. This practice of sustainability
helps their land yield healthier more plentiful crops in the long run, which is
better for the growers and for the Earth.
When you buy Fair
Trade products over other products, you are sending a message to large
corporations that you care about where your food comes from, and the people who
produce it. And while Fair Trade products
currently make up just a small percentage of what is available in the
marketplace, that amount has been steadily increasing year by year. When consumers express their desires through
their wallets, even the large corporations begin to listen. Some are adding more Fair Trade products as a
good business practice for their bottom line.
Others companies have even examined where their products or ingredients
come from, and have made Fair Trade commodities an ethical choice. Either way, it is a win-win for everyone.
At Winter Goddess Foods, we want to be good citizens of the world. The idea of thinking globally and acting locally is an idea we want to live. Fair Trade is our way of doing that on a daily basis. We use Fair Trade ingredients in all of our
products because it is the right thing to do.
By so doing, our products taste just as good in your heart as they do in
your mouth.
We invite you to join us, and think globally when it comes time to do your own shopping
We invite you to join us, and think globally when it comes time to do your own shopping
For more information about the Fair Trade movement, check
the links below:
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