In the USA, the retail market for personal care products is growing every year. Behind all those bottles of cleansers and creams are millions of farmers and farm workers in Africa, Asia and Latin America, many of whom struggle to make a profit off their crops. Fair Trade USA , together with our brand partners, now extends the benefits of Fair Trade to the farmers and workers that grow high-quality ingredients. A growing list of Fair Trade ingredients is available in raw, processed and extracted formats for use in personal care products.

Fair Trade Certified coffee pioneered the Fair Trade certification movement in the United States and continues to serve as its backbone. Fair Trade provides a vehicle for tremendous impact in the lives of more than five million coffee farmers and their familes. Farming organizations have been able to forge better business opportunities and cut out intermediaries. Fair Trade premiums that provide community development funds help enable cooperatives and associations to invest in their communities.

The Fair Trade Fresh Produce program began in 2004 with the launch of Fair Trade bananas, pineapples, grapes and mangos. Since the onset of the program, Fair Trade has helped produce farmers and family farmers participate in long-term, stable relationships that support a dependable living for farmers and their families, which in turn allows them to provide a reliable, Fair Trade product for the industry.  A wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including fruit juices, fruit purees, and dried fruit and vegetables, are eligible for Fair Trade certification.

Honey is a very popular sweetener in the U.S. with 70% of the national demand being imported from abroad. More and more US customers choose to buy Fair Trade Certified honey. As honey extends beyond food products into bodycare products, Fair Trade certified honey is poised to take off within the next few years. This will allow a growing number of beekeeper cooperatives in Africa, Asia and Latin America to establish long-term, stable trade relationships, receive better prices for their honey, and invest in their community development.

There are a myriad of regions around the world producing uniquely flavorful Fair Trade Certified food products that can be used as ingredients in distilled beverages, liquors or spirits. Grains, such as quinoa from Bolivia, can be used to make vodka. Coffee from regions like Mexico and Brazil can be used to make liqueurs, and sugar from places like Malawi can be used to make rum.

The Fair Trade Certified tea program addresses labor issues and unfair trade practices within the world’s tea industry. Fair Trade certification protects tea estate workers as it ensures fair labor conditions and fair minimum wages. Fair Trade farmers gain access to international markets and are empowered to build organizational capacity to compete in the global marketplace. A minimum sales price is guaranteed to ensure a sustainable wage is paid to tea workers and a sustainable income is paid to tea farmers.