Fair Trade is an exceptionally important aspect of my daily life. It’s also something I try to support as avidly and frequently as possible. 

The fact that farmers all around the world are in near slave labor conditions to bring the rest of the spoiled world a $5.00 cup of coffee sickens me. And it doesn’t stop there. Bananas, vanilla, sugar, rice, chocolate, even flowers… The list continues. Almost any crop that the world demands can probably be traced back to small farms in impoverished countries, and you can bet that $5.00 coffee that they’re not seeing even a fraction of that money. That’s not right, and it’s not okay either. 

Fair Trade works to avoid that. Farmers are paid fair wages in order to support their families. Have access to health care, and have a better quality of life. Fair Trade is also dead against child labor and anything anti-human rights. Things ordinary farmers in the same regions are often denied. In most cases Fair Trade farming also harvests and grows the crops in an ethical, sustainable way, and works to benefit the surrounding community. 

Okay, you’re right. Fair Trade products are usually a lot more money coming out of our pockets. And it also probably means that you can’t just stop into that same coffee shop every day either. But, if you were the one harvesting the cocoa beans for pennies a day, wouldn’t you hope someone would stand up and fight for your rights too? 
Besides, buying coffee for $11 per lb makes a lot more than the two cups you could have bought out somewhere.

Care about people and the world too? Look for these labels:

It doesn’t end there though. There are lots of other brands that also sell fair trade products. Such as my favorite brand of soap: Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps Not only do they smell delicious, last forever, are all natural, fair trade, made in the US, and all around wonderful, they also have really fun bottles! 

My favorite sent has a fun poem on it adapted from Rudyard Kipling titled “If.” 

I’ll post it in a minute.