What is Fair Trade?

Fair Trade attempts to put more money and power back into small producers hands, through a fairer trading system.

Fair Trade applies to commodities such as coffee, tea and fruit, from developing countries. It is generally aimed at protecting producers who farm small areas of their own land but due to remoteness and market fluctuations, often do not even recover the cost of production.

The Fairtrade mark attempts to provide a safety net for producers by guaranteeing:

• A minimum internationally agreed price. If the world price goes up so does the Fairtrade price, but the Fairtrade price remains stable if the market price falls
• A social premium to invest in community development such as wells or clinics. Producers must be part of a democratic body such as a co-operative, so they can make decisions about this fairly
• Safe and fair working conditions
• Environmentally responsible and sustainable production methods