Press Releases
SUMMER FORECAST: FAIR TRADE CERTIFIED™ IS HOT
Bottled Beverages, Ice Cream, Wine and Body Care Products Keep Fair Trade Certified™ Cool this Summer
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA; July 1, 2009 - As consumers reach for something cold and refreshing this summer, they’re finding something they may not have expected: Fair Trade Certified™.
The Fair Trade Certified™ label, most often associated with coffee, can now be found on an ever-increasing number of products – from Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Honest Tea’s bottled beverages to lip balms and chardonnays. Fair Trade Certified is becoming a summer staple, and it is benefiting more farming communities in the developing world than ever before.
"For us, this will be the summer of Fair Trade Certified," said Paul Rice, CEO of TransFair USA, the nonprofit organization that administers the Fair Trade Certified label in the United States. "Companies like Ben & Jerry’s and Honest Tea have started using Fair Trade Certified ingredients in their products. More Fair Trade Certified product options means that more consumers are able to choose Fair Trade, thereby helping to support more farmers and farm workers around the globe."
Fair Trade Certified is a market-based system for sustainable development whereby importers and retailers pay a premium price to farmers and farm workers who commit to grow and produce goods in accordance with rigorous standards that guarantee worker rights, community empowerment and environmental sustainability. In turn, the farmers and employees determine how to better their communities with a community development premium that is earned on these products; whether it’s building a new school, a health clinic or a water purification system.
Here are some of the new products that are helping drive the growth of Fair Trade Certified packaged goods this summer:
Ben and Jerry’s
Ben & Jerry’s latest creation, Chocolate Macadamia, is a flavor with a mission. Made with Fair Trade Certified cocoa and vanilla, this new flavor is the latest in the iconic Vermont-based ice cream maker’s quest to source ingredients in ways that are good for the earth and its people. In addition to Chocolate Macadamia, Ben & Jerry’s lineup of pint flavors with Fair Trade Certified ingredients also includes Chocolate, Vanilla and Coffee Heath Bar Crunch. Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops also carry Coffee and Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz with Fair Trade Certified coffee. A pint-sized container retails for approximately $4.00.
Fairhills Wine
Fairhills offers Fair Trade Certified wines, sourced from South Africa, Chile and Argentina, including a South African Chardonnay. This Western Cape Chardonnay benefits more than 1,000 local farmers and community members in the Breede River Valley Region. The Fairhills wines are available at wine stores throughout the United States and are expected to retail for approximately $11.99.
Honest Tea
Famous as President Obama’s tea of choice and the first company to introduce a Fair Trade bottled tea in 2003, Honest Tea is one of the leading supporters of Fair Trade Certified - offering nine different types of organic certified bottled teas. This summer, consumers can take a tour of the offerings with the new Fair Trade Variety Pack, which includes four bottles of Jasmine Green Energy Tea, four bottles of Peach Oo-la-long and four bottles of Pomegranate Red Tea with Goji Berry. The variety pack retails for approximately $11.99. For each variety pack sold, Honest Tea will donate $.25 to one of five environmental charities.
Badger USDA Certified Organic Body Care
This family run, family friendly business based in rural New Hampshire strives to soothe and heal by creating pure, simple and effective products using high quality USDA Certified Organic ingredients, including Fair Trade Certified cocoa butter. Now, consumers can soothe their chapped lips this summer with Cocoa Butter Lip Balm. A .25 oz. stick retails for about $5. And for sun-dried skin, they might try a 2 oz. Creamy Cocoa Every Day Moisturizer for about $15. Badger products are available at select retailers nationwide, or online at www.badgerbalm.com.
About 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. Visit www.FairTradeCertified.org.
