Fair Trade Tea

Although market prices for tea have reach historical highs in 2009-2010, absolute prices are stage with or below where they were 30 years ago.

Although market prices for tea have reached Tea historical highs in 2009-2010, absolute prices are level with or below where they were 30 years ago. At the same time, producers face important increases in living costs due to food price inflation, reduced crops/yields and reduction of local currency versus the dollar.

After water, tea is the most popular drink in the world with 70,000 cups drunk per 2nd. Like cocoa, sugar and coffee, tea is in many ways a trace of colonial times. Many tea plantations in India, Sri Lanka, and East Africa were at first established during the British Empire.

Internationally, perhaps as many as 50 million people are involved in the tea production in many of the world’s least developed countries. Tea is generally grown on plantations and less classically by small scale farmer cooperatives.

Fair Trade Tea History

His early history of Fair Trade is linked to Christian faith-based group, as it is they who originated this movement.

Most people agree that it all started in the U S. What is now Ten 1000 Villages and other associations 1st sold handcrafts made by disfavored people in the 1940s.

Here in Europe, Oxfam was created after World War II to relief hunger to refugees the name comes as an short form of Oxford team for Famine Relief. Oxfam Trading started to work in 1964 and later became the Fair Trade branch of this NGO. Now Oxfam is a large organization with lots of branches in many countries. They have created a fantastic brand image with their characteristic light green color and impacting campaigns.

Main to highlight major milestones:

No	Year	highlight major milestones
1.	1946	In United States, founders of what is now Ten 10000 organization buy needlework from Puerto Rico producers and sell them in their USA homeland
2.	1958	The first World Shop opens its doors in Ohio- United States
3.	1969	The first European World Shop opens in Breakeven, the Netherlands
4.	1989	The first Fair Trade certified label, Max Havelaar, is issued in the Netherlands Coffee starts as a Fair Trade good
5.	1990	Creation of EFTA, European Fair Trade Association
6.	1994	Creation of NEWS an association of Fair Trade shops
7.	1997	Creation of FLO, Fairtrade Labeling Organization, made by the merge of Max Havelaar, Transfair and Fair Trade
8.	1999	During the WTO meeting at Seattle three Global Exchange members are arrested by police while they were addressing the attendees
9.	2000	Garstang becomes the first Fairtrade town in the world. Now, some other 250 have followed
10	2007	The three major Fair Trade producer organizations become part of the governance structure of FLO

First Fair Trade franchise business becomes available in the United Kingdom As for the term fair Trade itself, it was 1st used by Michael Barratt Brown in 1985, during a Trade and Technology meeting in London, although during the early days some other names existed: Alternative trade, Alternative commerce…. and some of them are still in use.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR OLIVE OIL

Trees for Life 

•A grassroots program to replant olive trees in Palestine, each $21 share replants 3 trees 

•Give shares as a gift, in honor of a loved one, to celebrate main occasions, or for personal carbon offsets 

•Trees for Life gifts make a lasting impression. For events large and small, this lasting gift will be remembered. 

•state to and from names at checkout so we can personalize your corticated •We will send you the certificate automatically to print out and present

 The People & the Olive 

•Inspiring 72 minute documentary about the daily struggles and joys of Palestinian fair trade olive farmers 

•A group of American ultra-marathoners runs 130 miles in 5 days across the West Bank replanting uprooted olive trees and planting hope 

•Price includes delivery, no extra shipping and handling on this item 

•50% of the proceeds to Stone Hut Studios from the sale of this film will go to On The Ground to support the replanting of olive trees in Palestine.

 Producer Profile Book 

•Part of a 3 year study to collect stories from each of the 50 PFTA cooperatives we partner with.

•There are over 1700 farm families and 200 women producers all has a story to tell. •The first 24 stories are collected here, printed for presentation, inspiration or gift giving.

•The price includes delivery, no additional shipping and handling on this item.

Fair trade organic extra virgin olive oil

Alongside the Andean foothills of La Rioja, Olives Argentines is known as a leader in local sustainable production. They were the first to produce certified organic olive oil in La Rioja and have been doing so for the last 5 years.

Emilio Caimi, led Agricultural Engineer, has helped guide the companies sustainability initiatives and sees Fair Trade as a natural praise to Olives Argentines sustainability philosophy. We need to invest in the well-being of our soil to have a great harvest, and the same is true concerning the well-being of our employees, Emilio affirms while walking along rows of organic olive trees.

As a larger-scale producer, all of the benefits of Fair Trade are directed toward the Olives Argentines working community. Management is by now making plans for their first annual assembly of workers to be held during the beginning of harvest in March. This assembly will include both provisional and permanent workers representatives to discuss the needs of workers and make a democratic decision on how Social premium will be invest in the worker community during 2008.

One idea already discussed is the possible foundation of a small kindergarten for workers children to attend while their parents are working. We look forward to joining with Olives Argentines and their workers to discuss this and other proposals for invest Social Premiums for the highest social return in this worker community.