Over 100. USFT is a national network of student organizations advocating around Fair Trade products, policies, and principles. The core objective of USFT is to raise the awareness of and expand the demand for Fair Trade alternatives, both on campuses and in communities. Café Campesino recently began working with Georgia Southwestern University to start a USFT organization in Americus. To learn more about the USFT, visit their website at www.usft.org.

Do Fair Trade farmers sell all of their crop at Fair Trade prices?

No - Fair Trade farmers on average sell only 20% of their crop at Fair Trade terms, selling the rest through the world market at much lower prices. The same is true for artisans, which is why the building a market for Fair Trade is so critical! 
(Source: Global Exchange)

What is the name of the fast growing student organization that is focused on Fair Trade issues and campaigns?

United Students for Fair Trade — This energetic organization is really taking the message to the streets and to their administrations! Check out our feature article in a previous edition of Fair Grounds and visit their website at www.usft.org to learn more.

What percentage of the artisans providing fair trade hand-crafted products are women?

60-70%...who are often mothers and the sole wage earners in the home. (Source: Fair Trade Federation)

Of the $3.6 trillion in all goods exchanged globally, what percentage is Fair Trade?

Just .01%. (Source: Fair Trade Federation)

Yes - quite rapidly! According to the 2003 Fair Trade Trends Report published by the Fair Trade Federation and the International Fair Trade Association, the fair trade industry in North America and the Pacific Rim grew over 35% last year. Coffee is actually the fastest growing sector - with sales up over 50%. For more details and a link to the detailed report, visit http://www.coopamerica.org/newsroom/
releases/091003.htm

The International Fair Trade Association (www.IFAT.org) is a global network of fair trade organizations based in Oxford, England. The organization is composed of over 200 members in 55 countries from countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, North America, Australasia and the Pacific Rim.

For more info on the label: http://www.ifat.org/theftomark/thelaunch.html

IFAT's members are producer co-operatives and associations, export marketing companies, importers, retailers, national and regional Fair Trade networks and financial institutions, dedicated to the Fair Trade movement. In short, the IFAT network represents the whole Fair Trade chain from product to sale.

IFAT's mission is to improve the livelihoods and well being of disadvantaged producers by linking and promoting Fair Trade Organizations, and speaking out for greater justice in world trade.

Unlike some commercial importers, Fair Trade organizations provide critical technical assistance and support such as market information, product feedback and training in financial management. Unlike commercial importers, fair trade organizations establish long term relationships with their producers and help them adapt production to changing trends.

What role does "Max Havelaar" play in the fair trade movement?

Max Havelaar is the protagonist in a Dutch novel written by Multatuli (the pen name of Eduard Douwes Dekker), first published in 1860. In the novel, Max Havelaar tries to battle against a corrupt government system in Java, which was a Dutch colony at a time. The character's name was adopted by the Max Havelaar Foundation, a fair trade labeling organization based in the Netherlands.

Why doesn't the fair trade community support free trade agreements like NAFTA and FTAA?

Fair traders are often accused of being "anti-trade" because we don't typically support these multi-lateral trade agreements. If you think about it, this is actually a rather silly accusation. We love trade – our mission is to promote trade – it's what we do! But we support trade with guidelines ensuring that the producers or workers were not exploited. All participants in the fair trade model should benefit from the transaction and all are held accountable for their actions through transparency agreements and long-term partnership. Historically, people or communities traded because one produced a product that the other desired. In today's global culture, the trade equation can look very different. Companies often close a manufacturing facility located in the consuming market and re-open the facility in a developing country in order to use weak environmental laws and cheap labor to produce a less expensive product. Then they "trade" this product with the consuming country. Trade agreements like NAFTA and FTAA pave the way for this behavior – and we oppose them!

Is the Fair Trade Federation the only association of fair trade companies and organizations?

No, the International Federation of Alternative Traders, based in Oxford, England, associates more than 150 fair trade organizations located throughout the world. The FTF is a member of IFAT – and many members of FTF are also members of IFAT.

What is the Fairtrade Labelling Organization?

Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO) is a worldwide Fairtrade Standard setting and certification organization. FLO  maintains a registry of more 200 cooperatives representing over 800,000 producers and their dependants in more than 40 countries. Fairtrade Labelling started in the Netherlands, where coffee was the first labelled product. The Dutch label is called 'Max Havelaar', after a best-selling 19th century book about the exploitation of Javanese coffee plantation workers by Dutch colonial merchants. After this first initiative, other national Fairtrade labellers soon followed, some using the same name, others introducing new names, like TransFair, Fairtrade Foundation and Rattvisemarkt. At present, there are 17 Fairtrade Labelling Initiatives under one umbrella organisation, FLO-International. There are Fairtrade Labels on dozens of different products, based on FLO's certification for coffee, tea, rice, bananas, mangoes, cocoa, sugar, honey, fruit juices and footballs and even cut flowers are currently under consideration and might soon follow. FLO is constantly expanding and should soon include other fresh fruit, wines, nuts and oils and in the years to come more non-food products as well.

What is the difference between the FTF and the FTRN?

The Fair Trade Federation, or FTF www.fairtradefederation.org, is an association of fair trade wholesalers, retailers, and producers whose members are committed to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide. In order to join the association, a company must successfully complete a rigorous peer review process demonstrating their commitment to the principles of fair trade.

The Fair Trade Resource Network, or FTRN www.fairtraderesource.org, is a non-profit organization which focuses on raising consumer awareness for fair trade. The FTRN evolved out of the FTF in 2001 in order to focus efforts on consumer education. The two organizations continue to work together to support the rapidly growing fair trade movement.

When did the fair trade movement begin?

Some people say that fair trade, often also called alternative trade, began in Italy and the UK towards the end of the 19th century with the development of the cooperative movement. Like fair trade organizations, cooperatives build an integrated economy all the way from production to retail outlet. The Mennonite Central Committee in the United States, from which Ten Thousand Villages sprang, started trading with poor communities in the southern hemishere during the 1940s. The purpose was job creation and income generation. Oxfam began a similar trade program in the 1960s.

To learn more about the history of fair trade, visit the International Federation for Alternative Trade at http://www.ifat.org/dwr/resource3.html

Does Fair Trade coffee taste different?

During a radio talk show in Madison last month, a caller asked Bill this question. It pointed out one of the great misconceptions concerning fair trade coffee. We have the same green coffee quality specifications as other specialty roasters — the key difference is the trade mechanisms that we use. Conventional coffee travels to an exporter in the growing country — then to an importer here, then often to a broker — before arriving at the roasters door. In contrast, our coffee is purchased directly from the farmer's cooperative — allowing the farmer to receive a much higher portion of the purchase price.

Does this trade system affect the taste? We sure hope so! We feel that we always get comparable and often get better quality coffee than other roasters because we purposely build a direct relationship with the farmers - and provide a financial incentive for them to deliver higher quality. All of our green coffee is also tested and approved by an independent coffee testing laboratory before it is exported by the farmer cooperative.

Besides coffee and tea, what kinds of goods are available through fair trade channels?

Recently fair trade cocoa and chocolate products were introduced in the U.S and other commodities such as bananas, honey, orange juice and sugar will soon be available. Members of the Fair Trade Federation http://www.fairtradefederation.org offer such diverse items as decorative home accessories, jewelry, textiles, ceramics, crafts, musical instruments and soccer balls.

How many pounds of coffee beans were certified for fair trade purchase by U.S. companies in 2002?

According to TransFair USA, 10 million pounds were certified in 2002. The projection for 2003 is 13 million pounds. 45% of these fair trade certified beans are purchased by four companies, one of which is our sister importing organization, Cooperative Coffees.

Is coffee the only fair trade product available in the United States?

No. Although coffee is the leading fair trade product in terms of sales (10,000,000 lbs in 2002), many other products are available from a vast network of businesses committed to fair trade principles. Visit the Fair Trade Federation at http://www.fairtradefederation.org to learn more about the growing Fair Trade network.

Does the "Transfair" fair trade logo on a company’s product indicate that the company is a fair trade company?

No. This is a common misunderstanding in the sometimes confusing world of fair trade. Transfair certifies products — not companies. The Transfair logo simply indicates that the packaged product was purchased from the producer under Fair Trade terms. It does not certify the company’s commitment to Fair Trade principles nor does it indicate that a certain minimum percentage of the company’s products are Fair Trade certified. Many companies, such as Café Campesino, are mission driven and Fair Trade is our business, not a marketing tool that we use on a small percentage of our products. So, we encourage supporters who are interested in supporting fair traders to "Look beyond the Label".

Is all Fair Trade Certified coffee shade grown?

Although the two terms are not synonymous, most Fair Trade Certified (and all of Café Campesino's) coffee is also shade-grown. This is because all Fair Trade coffee is grown by small family farmers, most of whom own traditional, shaded farms that host a high diversity of birds. In addition to providing a rich habitat for birds, these shade trees often bear fruit, providing additional food or income for the farmers and their families.

What’s the difference between "Fair Trade" and "Free Trade"?

Fair Trade guarantees producers a better price for their product than what they would earn under conventional trade. By providing direct trade links between consumers and producers, Fair Trade companies promote social justice in a manner that socially and economically empowers farmers. Fair Trade is not charity; it provides a market-based approach to increasing small farmer self-sufficiency.

Free Trade, in contrast, implies a system of trade that favors large multinational corporations, often at the expense of local human communities and the environment. Free trade is not about helping small farmers gain self sufficiency; it’s a system of trade that increases corporate profits for multinational companies that benefit from lower labor costs and looser environmental regulations in Third World countries.

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