Fairtrade

Fairtrade is an alternative approach to conventional trade based on a partnership between producers and traders, businesses and consumers. It provides the farmers with a better deal and improved terms of trades, and offers consumers a powerful way to reduce poverty through their every day shopping.

We are committed to the Fairtrade International Certification (FLO-CERT) to support our mission: to develop an organic farming community with premium quality products and with the ability to improve the farmers’ daily living standards.

Fairtrade Standards and Minimum Price

When a product carries the FAIRTRADE Mark it means the producers and traders have met Fairtrade Standards. The Fairtrade Standards are designed to address the imbalance of power in trading relationships, unstable markets and the injustices of conventional trade.

By implementing Fairtrade Standards, we can help the farmers with better pricing aimed to ensure their ability to cover the average costs of sustainable production. It acts as a safety net for farmers at times when world markets fall below a sustainable level.

When the market price is higher than the Fairtrade Minimum Price, the buyer must pay the higher price. Producers and traders can also negotiate higher prices on the basis of quality and other attributes.

The Fairtrade Premium

In addition to the price paid for the product, there is an additional sum of money, called the Fairtrade Premium, that farmers receive for products sold on Fairtrade terms. This money goes into a communal fund for workers and farmers to use to improve their social, economic and environmental conditions.

The use of this additional income is decided upon democratically by producers within the farmers’ organization, or by a workers’ committee on a plantation. The Premium is invested in education and healthcare, farm improvements to increase yield and quality, or processing facilities to increase income.

As many projects funded by the Premium are communal, the broader community, outside the producer organization often benefits from Fairtrade.