What Oxfam is Doing
- Fair Trade Coffee in the US
- Coffee Farmer Testimonials
FAIR TRADE COFFEE IN THE US
Equal Exchange, a worker-owned cooperative founded in 1986, pioneered the Fair Trade coffee movement in the US and continues to be a leader in educating the public about Fair Trade. Growing steadily for 15 years, Equal Exchange now offers more than 40 varieties of Fair Trade coffee, all of them certified by TransFair USA.
Oxfam America provided a grant to help Equal Exchange purchase its first shipment of Fair Trade coffee from El Salvador. Oxfam is advocating for more equitable trade rules that will help farmers in poor communities, and provides direct grants to coffee cooperatives in Central America.
TransFair opened its doors in October, 1998 to bring Fair Trade Certified coffee to mainstream coffee consumers in the US, and to pave the way for other Fair Trade Certified™ products.
In order to be certain that Fair Trade coffee roasters really are complying with Fair Trade standards, TransFair USA manages a third-party certification system in the United States. The international Fair Trade Labeling Organization certifies that the cooperatives that grow coffee comply with Fair Trade standards, and that the profits from the Fair Trade premium price are used in ways that benefit the coffee-farmer members of the cooperatives.