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Wholesome Sweeteners – Sugar Land, TX Introduces the FIRST Fair Trade CertifiedTM Organic Honey to the USA, honey as it should bee...

NEW from the category leader in Fair Trade Certified TM organic and natural sweeteners*, Wholesome Sweeteners' Fair Trade Certified Organic Honeys are produced traditionally by Mayan beekeepers in Mexico. The Mayans tend hives deep in the jungle where the honeybees feast on native wildflowers.

Our Fair Trade Organic Amber Honey is rich nectar with warm caramel notes. Perfect in beverages, baking, for glazing chicken and drizzled on fresh fruit or hot toast.

Our Fair Trade Organic Raw Honey is a thick creamy honey with a butterscotch essence; perfect spread on warm biscuits, in herby salad dressings or with yogurt and hard cheeses. This luscious organic honey is not heated above 110°F to maintain the nectar’s natural properties.  

On store shelves in August!

Wholesome pays a fair price directly to the beekeepers for their Fair Trade Certified Honey. The beekeepers have formed a solid cooperative and the whole community prospers from the honey harvest; it creates meaningful employment, the beekeepers can develop the quality of their hives and send their children to school. By protecting the hives and native plant forage areas, Fair Trade encourages biodiversity and helps the forests thrive, too.
 
TransFair USA CEO Paul Rice said, "We are delighted that Wholesome Sweeteners continues to take a leadership role by establishing Fair Trade Certified Honey. Wholesome Sweeteners' significant commitment to fair trade shows that you can give consumers a great product while still paying farmers a fair wage and taking care of the environment. By embracing Fair Trade Certified Honey, Wholesome Sweeteners' is helping consumers make a tremendous difference in the lives of thousands of family farmers."

Fair Trade and the beekeepers …
The hives are tucked deep in the jungles of Chiapas and Quintana Roo, and have been tended by Mayan communities for generations. Although there is a centuries-old beekeeping tradition here, honey production has only recently been recognized as a viable and stable income opportunity in the global market.  

In years past, middlemen, or “coyotes,” took a majority of the beekeepers’ income. With Fair Trade Certified, the middlemen are removed and the cooperatives work autonomously and directly with Wholesome Sweeteners. The beekeepers are able to improve standards for their families, their communities and their honey, and protect precious rainforests and habitat. While they look forward to business opportunities and a new sense of stability, the Co-op members are inspired by their past … the Mayan beekeeping culture is surviving and thriving in the early 21st century.
 
And the honeys …
A blend of multi-floral honeys from Mexico’s rainforests, these honeys are simply luscious. Because the hives are isolated, deep within organic perimeters, and the bees forage only on native plants—wildflowers and, for one brief week every year, organically cultivated coffee blooms. As the season progresses and the flowers change, the honeys’ character changes too, deepening in color and flavor.

Honey has sweetened our days for thousands of years, well before anyone began recording history; its role as a curative is just as long. Recent research into the substantial benefits of honey—as an antibacterial, antioxidant and antiseptic—shows promise well beyond just sweetening our palates.
 
And Wholesome Sweeteners
Wholesome Sweeteners brings the very best of nature's sweetness to you and your family every day. Wholesome believes in traditional ways, artisanal products and a very light footprint. After searching the world for the best products, Wholesome has focused on the tropics, where the climate and conditions are just right for growing organic cane, organic agave, and for supporting bees who forage only on pesticide-free native plants in tropical rainforests. Wholesome is also committed to the farmers and beekeepers that produce these products. We pioneered Fair Trade Certified  sugars, molasses and honey, bringing the first Fair Trade Certified sweeteners to North American markets. With glittering Fair Trade Certified organic and natural sweeteners from Central and South America and Africa, we’re committed to making the world a sweeter place, one spoonful at a time.
 
And TransFair USA

TransFair USA is the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade Certified products in the United States. TransFair USA audits and certifies transactions between U.S. companies offering Fair Trade Certified products and their international suppliers to guarantee that the farmers and workers producing Fair Trade Certified goods were paid fair prices and wages. TransFair USA certifies sugar, honey, coffee, tea, herbs, vanilla, cocoa, chocolate, rice, bananas and flowers. For more information, visit www.FairTradeCertified.org