Fair Trade Friday: 10 Businesses to Support

Equal Exchange

Equal Exchange is itself a worker-owned cooperative. They work with small farmer co-ops in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States. The co-ops have used their Fair Trade income to develop training programs for women in Guatemala, an ecotourism project in Nicaragua, new classrooms in El Salvador, to name a few examples.

Their Guiding Principles:

Trade directly with democratically organized small farmer cooperatives.
Facilitate access to credit for producer organizations.
Pay producers a guaranteed minimum price that provides a stable source of income as well as improved social services.
Provide high quality food products.
Support sustainable farming practices.
Build a democratically-run cooperative workplace.
Develop more environmentally-sound business practices.

Equal Exchange offers high quality, organic coffees, teas, chocolates, bananas, olive oil, and almonds.

[Image used with permission by Equal Exchange]

Next >>