By the time you have eaten breakfast in the morning, you have already depended on half the world. -Martin Luther King-

Fair Trade

What is Fair Trade? When a manufacturer sets minimum price agreement for the seller and producer (usually in poorer countries) to be paid in exchange for the manufacturer being aloud to use the trademarked term “free trade”, and consequently people are willing to pay more for these products for security and humanitarian reasons.

Who is in charge? Who benefits? The certifier and inventor of free trade is run by an organization called FLO International, who’s goal it is to promote trade justice between countries. They make the standards and specifics required of manufactures to become free trade certified. Here is an excerpt from there website. “We are 24 organizations working to secure a better deal for producers. From our headquarters in Bonn, Germany, we set international Fair-trade standards and support Fair-trade producers.” The manufactures, consumers, and produces all benefit from free trade, because the manufactures get to charge higher prices. The producers make more money, then before for their goods, and consumers often get higher quality products.

What Products are Available? rice,sugar,olive oil,vanilla,sports balls, wine, sprits, beer,crafts,baked goods, bannas,tea,honey, gold, cotton, coffee, flowers, fruits, and most popularly coffee and chocolate.

What Are Some of the PROs of Fair Trade? ll

Sustainable Prices & Production Sufficient Wage Direct Long-Term Contract Better Working Conditions (No Child/Forced Labor) Higher Market Prices = Premium Labeling System (Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International – FLO)

Supporting Struggling Producers Long-Term Contract = Security Access to Education & Healthcare No Child Labor Farm Improvement & Better Equipment

Protect the Environment Organic or Environmentally Sustainable Methods High Standards of Animal Welfare Solve Conventional Farming Problems Minimize Pollutants and Pesticides Train Producers

Fair Trade Cons Fair Trade artificially inflates prices without doing anything to address the real problems Support under performing farmers or practices Fair trade's certification emphasis on co-ops discriminates against smaller farmers Fair trade will not single-handedly solve global poverty Only 20% of consumers willing to pay more for fair trade products which limit expansion Fair trade may cut out middle man but the extra money may not make it back to the farmers

Needs constant promotion which mean high market costs High market cost is part of the reason the extra money you pay doesn't make it back to the farmers Fair trade takes advantage of consumers' social conscience Some say that the fair trade practices leads to unequal outcomes among states and can increase the risk of violence between them

Starbucks Huge chain store: There are around 14,400 Starbucks in the world Only 3-6% or their coffee is fair trade. Because or their size, this makes them the largest buyer of fair trade. Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, and even Walmart have a higher portion of their coffee Fair Trade than Starbucks 1 cup of coffee costs around $1 to $4

Alternatives Organizations that support Fair Trade but offer alternative labelling: Green America- Mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. Global Exchange Fair Trade Federation- Trade association that strengthens and promotes North American organizations fully committed to fair trade. Global Marketplace- Find places to purchase Fair Trade crafts, clothing, and jewelry and in doing so help raise the standard of living in developing countries.

High quality coffee and expensive. They have the money to go out there and hand pick their coffee 1 cup a coffee goes from $3 to $7 “That’s why we developed the Relationship Coffee © program. It is not a save the world through free trade scheme (although we do aim to save our world). It is not a “we buy direct” campaign (although we often do!). And it is not a subsidized pricing system (although we do pay far more for great coffee.).” -Barefoot Coffee Roaster Website

They create their own set of criteria to what they believe is fair. Not all companies and smaller coffee shops (mom and pop) have the means to be completely fair trade have the money or means to do something as drastic as Barefoot. To be a Relationship Coffee the farm has to these criteria: Consistently high cultivation and processing standards Farmed sustainably, using sound environmental practices We have visited the farm We communicate with regularly and have broken bread with the farmer Fully separated micro-lots Farm and Barefoot have 2 or more years of partnership Guaranteed to receive at least a 50% higher price than Fair Trade

Something to think about….. Fair Trade Resource Network (F.T.R.N.) estimates the average American family spends about $8500 a year on food, clothing and home furnishing. If the family shifts just 5% of that amount ($425) a year, we could make a significant contribution to the lives of impoverished people. To put the statistic in perspective, the average income for South Asians is less than $500 a year.

Places in the Bay Area to buy/support Fair Trade products: Cafes: Coupa Cafe - 538 Ramona St, Palo Alto, CA Barefoot Coffee Roasters- 5237 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara, CA Blvd Coffee- 15466 Los Gatos Blvd # 112, Los Gatos, CA Fireside Coffee- 1710 Moorpark Ave, San Jose, CA Peerless Coffee-260 Oak Street Oakland, CA 94607   Grocery Stores: Whole Foods Country Sun- 440 S. California Ave.   Palo Alto, CA 94306 Rainbow Grocery Cooperative- 1745 Folsom Street , San Francisco  

Other Fair Trade Stores Clothing/ Gifts: EDUN- Barney’s, Bloomingdale, Nordstoms San Francisco Casablanca Market- 793 Castro Street Mountain View, CA 94041 Eco citizen- 1488 Vallejo St. San Francisco, CA. 94109 Global Exchange- 4018 24th Street (near Noe) San Francisco CA 94114 Suutra- The Mission Statement 3458-A 18th St, San Francisco CA   On-Line Shopping: Sierra Club Store Maggie’s Organics http://tradeasone.com/