Fair Trade involves relationships that are open, fair, consistent, and respectful. Members show consideration for both customers and producers by sharing information about the entire trading chain through honest and proactive communication. They create mechanisms to help customers and producers feel actively involved in the trading chain. If problems arise, members work cooperatively with fair trade partners and other organizations to implement solutions.
Example: Cooperative Coffees
Cooperative Coffees, a green coffee importing cooperative of 23 roasters in the USA and Canada, builds sustainable trading relationships for the benefit of farmers and their communities.
Cooperative Coffees engages in regular communication with the farmers to create an open and mutually agreed upon contracts. On their website, Cooperative Coffees names each producer organization they work with and posts the contracts and agreements involved in production, reports of annual trips to the farms, and more details.
To further their efforts, in 2009, Cooperative Coffees launched FairTradeProof.org, a website which allows consumers to see copies of contracts, invoices and background information about the supplying producer coops and their communities. Consumers can track their coffee from the crop to their cup by following the transactions from different farmer cooperatives to roasters affiliated with Cooperative Coffees.
To learn more about their work in Principle 2 and all the Principles, visit CoopCoffees.com
Baksheesh is a fair trade retailer whose mission is to grow fair trade as much as possible, while creating and maintaining transparent and accountable relationships.
Founded in 1997, Baksheesh ensures communication among every level of the production cycle to bridge the distance between producers and customers. Baksheesh collects and shares best seller information among a network of eight retail stores, openly promotes their suppliers, happily directs customers to other Fair Trade stores, and mentors entrepreneurs looking to start fair trade stores by sharing best practices and customer information. They promote positive business practices at all points of the supply chain and discuss new product ideas and trends within the chain.
To maintain relationships with the artisans, Baksheesh visits the producers who work with their wholesale suppliers as often in person as they can and shares these personal stories on their website.
To learn more about Baksheesh, visit www.baksheeshfairtrade.com