Holiday Specials at Fair World Marketplace

Join us in Celebrating the Holidays with fairly traded, handmade gifts from around the world.
Beginning October 29th, we will be running eight weeks of Holiday Specials. Each week we will have new specials offered until the items are gone, so be sure to visit us online or in the store and see what’s new.

To start the season off we have some great specials for this week:

These holiday ornaments make a perfect addition for your tree this year, or a great gift.
This stunning red ornament is made from hand-blown glass in India. Our regular price is $6.95, and our special is $3.99

This frosted white glass ornament also comes to us from India. It is regularly $12.00, and is on special for $7.50.





This elegant, hand-painted vase is crafted in Vietnam. Our regular price is $22.50, our holiday special is $15.99.

Equal Exchange--Fair Trade Pioneer

Since opening, Fair World Marketplace has proudly sold Equal Exchange coffee and chocolate. Now CSRWire has profiled the company:

For more than twenty years Equal Exchange has been a pioneer in redefining corporate structure and in raising awareness of fair trade practices with farmers around the world. As one of oldest thriving cooperatives in America, they are deeply respected not only for the way they run their own business, but for being a company that has long lived its mission: to create a new model of bringing the best from farms to the consumers in a manner that is direct, fair and sustainable to all.

For the rest of the story, see Worker-Owned Cooperative Thrives as Fair Trade Pioneer.

Update on Haitian Artisans

Hurricane Gustav created havoc and a great deal of damage in Haiti, but no partner offices, homes or lives were lost. Our recycled drum art orders will be slightly delayed, but will still arrive by early October, barring further interference from hurricanes.

FWM in Guatemala!

We are proud to announce FWM’s new partnership with several indigenous women’s cooperatives in Guatemala in cooperation with Mission Guatemala, an outgrowth of the Kateri Tekakwitha Fund, a scholarship fund for indigenous women in Guatemala, founded by Kay Sweeny. So far the Kateri fund has helped 40 indigenous women obtain an education, 16 more are current scholarship recipients and 6 others have internships. You too can help sponsor a student!

Our goal is to help create new products, increase their market and help promote their self development within Guatemala.

Custom order products from these very talented women. Ask us how.

Fair Trade library online

The Fair Trade Institute has put a treasure-trove of publications online at http://www.fairtrade-institute.org. This author-managed collection provides a diverse forum for exchanging cutting-edge fair trade ideas and practices.

Clothing Retailers and Indian Farmers

Business Standard, Aug. 9, 2008: ... Many big global retail chains as well as local facilitating producer companies in India are signing agreements with cotton and basmati rice farmers on ethical business practices under the Fair Trade Labelling Organisation (FLO).

FLO International is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder association involving 23 organisations, traders and external experts. The association sets standards for fair trade and supports fair trade certified producers by providing them market opportunities. Farmer groups which tie-up with producer companies and retailers under FLO norms get the FLO equivalent of a minimum support price .

Indian cotton and basmati companies are in the forefront of the fair trade movement in India. A producer company, Agrocell, has tied up with Indian cotton farmers groups for 22,000 acres. Agrocell Managing Director Hansmukh Patel says the farmers can opt for buyers suggested by Agrocell or sell to the highest bidder.

Patel adds: “Our role ends with ensuring that farmers get an assured price from retailers like Marks & Spencer and Gap. We also provide support in ensuring irrigation and a fair trade premium, which takes care of education and health needs of the land-owning farmers as well as the wage workers.”

FLO conditions stipulate that there will be no genetically modified crop, no child labour, and workers must get minimum wages. ...

Fair Trade known to 20% of Americans

Paul Rice, co-founder of TransFair USA, estimates that 20% of Americans know about fair trade and about 10% actively support it by buying fair trade products. That leaves a lot of potential for growing the American fair trade movement!

FWM Prize Winners!

To everybody who came in during our Super Summer Sale, thanks for making it a great event!

Congratulations to Joanne, Lorry Crinnin, and Mary Teneyck who won T-shirts, and Linda Palmisano who won a Putamayo CD !

New Instruments

Fair World Marketplace is unpacking orders of new products from around the world, including new instruments from Peru, via Inter-American Trading

Summer Sale!