In Swahili, “twiga” means “giraffe”—so it’s really apt that Fairtrade brand partner, Twiga Coffee, donates 10% of sales to wildlife conservation funds, including Giraffe Conservation Foundation and The Somali Giraffe Project! This #WorldBiodiversityDay we’re thinking about the interconnected nature of our lives. Certainly, we see this in ecological realities, like the way that giraffes' feeding patterns prune acacia trees into their iconic shape (and the way that acacia trees have evolved powerful defense mechanisms to hold their own in this longstanding, evolutionary relationship!). We also recognize the interconnected nature of sustainability. The long-term well-being of people AND planet go hand-in-hand, which is why our Fairtrade Standards speak to elements of social, environmental and economic sustainability. For example, we prohibit child labor, we prohibit deforestation, and our pricing structure includes both a price floor and a Fairtrade Premium for the commodities that our farming partners sell on Fairtrade terms. Just a few more reasons to #ChooseFairtrade. #FairtradeCoffee #WildlifeConservation #EthicalCoffee (fb)

One of things you don’t realize when you take a job with Fairtrade America is that you will be moved to take photographs of yourself in the produce aisle. No one asks you to do this. No one expects it of you. But then you find yourself very much off the clock (out of town and, in fact, on a month of personal leave), and you’ll step into a store, and you’ll see Fairtrade, Equal Exchange bananas, and the only course of action will be to ask your friends to take a photo that captures your delight. What else but long-term Fairtrade partners so solidly committed to creating an alternative economy based on mutuality could evoke a grin like that? In 2006, when Equal Exchange ventured into the world of fresh produce, they envisioned a total departure from the bananas-as-usual industry that is infamous for unfair labor practices, dangerous working conditions, and perpetuation of global inequalities. Today they source their premium bananas from three small farmer cooperatives in Ecuador and Peru, and through democratically organized co-ops, these farmers leverage their collective resources and obtain access to global markets all while maintaining agency over their business, land and livelihoods. #EqualExchange #FairtradeBananas (fb)