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| Last updated on March 18, 2008 |
TransFair USA builds sustainable development and community empowerment by cultivating a more equitable global trade model that benefits farmers, workers, consumers, industry and the earth. We achieve our mission by certifying and promoting Fair Trade products.
Description:
TransFair USA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade practices in the United States. Through regular visits to Fair Trade farmer cooperatives conducted by Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO), and partnerships with US companies, TransFair verifies that the farmers who produced Fair Trade Certified(tm) products were paid a fair price.
Help us make a difference for farmers and farm workers around the world. Fair Trade is an exciting alternative to 'business as usual' that guarantees fair prices and better working conditions for Third World producers of coffee, tea, chocolate and fresh fruit. TransFair USA provides the only certification for Fair Trade products in the US. In the last 4 years, Fair Trade coffee has become the fastest growing segment of the $18.5 billion coffee industry. We partner with over 550,000 coffee farming families around the world and over 300 coffee, tea, chocolate and fresh fruit purveyors
History:
The roots of Fair Trade can be traced back to projects initiated by churches in North America and Europe in the late 1940s. Their goal was to provide relief to refugees and other poverty stricken communities by selling their handicrafts to Northern markets. Compared to conventional trading structures, these Alternative Trade Organizations (ATOs) offered higher returns to producers in the developing world through direct trade and fair prices. In the US, ATOs such as Ten Thousand Villages and SERRV have followed this model with Fair Trade handicrafts, and in 1986, Equal Exchange was formed to import Fair Trade coffee to the US market.
Fair Trade Certified coffee is now the fastest-growing segment of the US specialty coffee market. Building on the success of Max Havelaar and ATOs, TransFair USA opened its doors in late 1998 and began certifying Fair Trade coffee in 1999. In addition to coffee, TransFair has introduced Fair Trade Certified tea and cocoa to the US market. In Europe, Fair Trade products include tea, chocolate, bananas, sugar, honey and orange juice. In four years, TransFair has leveraged limited resources to certify 38 million pounds of Fair Trade coffee. This has generated US$31 million of additional income for farmers, providing lasting benefits for their families and the earth.
Contact person: Michael Carman, Office Manager, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (510) 663-5264
Address:
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1500 Broadway, Suite 400
Oakland, CA 94612
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.transfairusa.org
Directions:
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Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: 12th Street Bart Station,
Walk distance (in minutes): 3 min |
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