Fairtrade is an important topic, and is emphasised during October where the entirety of the month is dedicated to raising awareness. Over the next four weeks we will be distributing a couple of blogs based around the organisation, starting with today. This one focuses on the history and what it is, with a few statistics thrown in for good measure.
A background…
The roots of Fairtrade date back to 1946, when Ten Thousand Villages began buying needlework from Puerto Rico in 1946. The first official ‘Fairtrade’ shop which began to sell these products opened its doors in 1958 in the USA, and soon enough the organisation began to make its way to UK shores. Oxfam began selling crafts made by Chinese refugees and in 1964, the first official Organisation established. Poorer countries have been benefitting ever since.
What Fairtrade does.
As stated on their website, Fairtrade ensures ‘you have the power to change the world every day. With simple shopping choices, you can get farmers a better deal. And that means they can make their own decisions, control their futures and lead the dignified life everyone deserves.’ In short: it’s a simple way to give coffee farmers the recognition that their hard work deserves.
It is an unfortunate reality that coffee farmers in developing countries often get exploited for the work they do. This excellent organisation encourages better working conditions and a fairer price for their products, and buyers are encouraged to go through Fairtrade when purchasing the goods that we all know and love.
The organisation works hard throughout 74 countries over four continents, including Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, India and Sri Lanka.
It aims to boost awareness by holding events and campaigns. If a product is registered, it will carry the specialist mark.
Facts and Figures
Here’s a little snippet of some interesting information.

• There are more than 1.65 million farmers and workers in Fairtrade certified producer organisations.
• There are 1,226 certified producer organisations across 74 countries.
• 26% of all farmers and workers are women.
• Small producer organisations spent 31% of their Fairtrade premium on investments supporting productivity or quality improvements.
• On plantations, workers spent 26% of their premium on education.

Coinadrink are proud to support the organisation and purchase many of our products from certified organisations, so keep an eye out for that blog coming soon.