In addition to lots of good things, like children going to school and land farmed sustainably, Fair Trade requires Fair Trade importers to pay farmers a “premium” at the end of the growing season. Fair Trade farmers then decide as a community how to spend the premium often investing in schools and health clinics.
Here’s a 77 second video from Equal Exchange, one of the Fair Trade companies we are invested in, showing a water project that one farming co-op completed with its premium together with funds it had saved.
Think Fair Trade when you are holiday shopping. Here are some of our loan recipients past and present, who can help with your holiday lists: Equal Exchange, Divine Chocolate, and SERRV.
“Yes, I will put it out there—I will work for anyone for free if they’re prepared to make their clothing Fair Trade and organic.” – Emma Watson, actress most famous for playing Hermione in the Harry Potter film series.