Fair Trade News

Published Aug 3, 2005



Label ensures survival of small growers

by Meena Thiruvengadam
Express-News Business Writer

Pushing a cart brimming with organic milk, chips and produce around H-E-B Central Market, silversmith Marguerite Patterson admits she isn't all that familiar with the concept of fair trade — the idea that imported food products should come from growers who are paid a decent price, do not exploit workers and are environmentally responsible.

But Patterson does care about maintaining the world's small family farms, protecting the environment and helping growers in developing countries. "I certainly believe in fair trade as long as the companies are putting out a good product," she said.

Strong environmental concerns already have made Patterson a devout consumer of naturally raised organic products, and she doesn't mind paying a little more for products she can feel good about.

To connect with shoppers such as Patterson, companies around the world are selling fairness along with their food.

At Ben & Jerry's, ice cream flavors such as CoffeeCoffeeBuzzBuzzBuzz and Coffee Heath Bar Crunch are made with fair trade-certified coffee extracts from farmers in the Sierra Madre mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Espressos at Dunkin' Donuts are brewed with fair trade-certified coffee beans from Central and South America.

Starbucks sells fair trade coffee beans and brews fair trade java on request or as an occasional "coffee of the week." Target and Costco both sell fair trade-certified coffee. And Proctor & Gamble Co.'s Millstone coffee line includes fair trade-certified blends.

"Consumers are becoming much more aware of where the things they're buying come from," said Martha Jimenez, vice president for policy and development at TransFair USA, the nonprofit agency that certifies American commodity imports as fair trade.

"People don't want to know that what they're enjoying is based on the pain and suffering of others," Jimenez said. "They want to feel good about their purchases."

TransFair USA ensures that farmers earn a fair price for their work, have access to financing, follow International Labor Organization standards, trade directly with buyers and grow crops in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Its small black-and-white fair trade symbol has been placed on millions of pounds of coffee, cocoa, tea, bananas, mangoes, pineapples and grapes. TransFair USA certified nearly $400 million worth of products, mostly coffee, last year.

More than 20,000 restaurants and retailers across the country — up from 12,000 in 2002 — sell fair trade-certified products.

Grocery chains such as H-E-B Central Market, Sun Harvest and Whole Foods Market are among those stocking their shelves with everything from fair trade-certified coffees and teas to sugar and fruits.

"If we can find something that is both high-quality and fairly traded, that's something we want to sell," said Kristi Estes, a spokeswoman for Sun Harvest.

Sun Harvest began selling fair trade-certified coffee about three years ago, after a company exec visited with struggling farmers. The chain has since launched sales of fair trade bananas and bulk sugar.

"At first, there was a lot of explaining to people what fair trade is," Estes said. "Now that more people know, they're actively seeking out fair trade products."

And fair trade has grown into a booming business. "There's a growing sentiment among consumers that things just aren't right with the world," said Dominik Nosalik, a consumer market analyst with market research company Datamonitor.

"A couple of companies realized there was a real commercial advantage to going after this market," he said. "Businesses that have allied themselves with that sort of ethical positioning have done quite well."

In 2003, fair trade-certified coffee sales alone totaled $208 million, according to TransFair USA.

"Fair trade is very much about people wanting to be connected," Nosalik said. "Increasingly, people are feeling like what happens in one place will have an effect elsewhere."