Trade As One

These next two weeks, we’re going to be trying something called The Big Swap. Our friends over in the UK came up with the idea, and we think it’s brilliant. The gist is this: swap out something you buy regularly for the Fair Trade alternative. It’s not about new spending, or buying anything you don’t need; it’s about diverting your regular purchasing into channels that directly benefit those with HIV/AIDS, rescued from slavery, and living in extreme poverty.

Sounds like a no-brainer, huh?

It’s our hope that this first swap will lead to a change in habits, as more and more of us realize that the Fair Trade alternative means a better product with a better story.

Every weekday for the next two weeks (that’s 10 days for all you math whizzes out there) we’ll profile an industry rife with abuse, and the Fair Trade alternative. We’ll cover everything from footballs to bananas. Should be fun.

Please share this content with the people in your life who might want to use their resources to make our world just a little bit fairer, safer, and more sustainable.

The first swap is on the way!

Fair Trade has been getting some great press lately, thanks to the pioneers over at Ben & Jerry’s, and some savvy chocolatiers across the pond.  Last month Green and Blacks, a huge chocolate company in the UK, announced plans to be completely Fair Trade across all of their chocolate and beverage lines by 2011. And today Ben and Jerry’s announced that by 2013, they plan to be fully Fair Trade. And when they say fully Fair Trade, they mean it: all 121 chunks and swirls and 11 base ingredients will be Fair Trade certified. Love it!

I think some guilty pleasures just got a little more innocent.

To read the full Ben & Jerry’s article, click here
For the Green and Black’s article, click here

Manchester Christian Church in Manchester, New Hampshire is one of our favorites. They’ve got a Trading Post year-round, and they do some really cool stuff with us around Black Friday as well. I got an email from Lisa Mazur, our friend at MCC, and I wanted to share a piece of it with you. I think it’s a good example of what it can look like when a group of people gets Fair Trade into their DNA.

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“Our congregation is starting to say no to the mindless consumerism around them and yes to intentional everyday giving.  They are making lifestyle changes so they can give more to the poor. I just heard a story of how a group of our students visited the home of a youth group leader. When the leader put out a bowl of chocolate for dessert, the students respectfully declined. When asked why no one was eating the chocolate, they shared about what they had recently learned about the thoroughly unjust chocolate industry around the world and how they had made a pact to only eat fairly traded chocolate. As much as they wanted to say “yes” to that chocolate, their hearts wouldn’t have any of it. The leader wanted to share that with me because that simple act had a huge impact on her.”

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Just a reminder that we are opening our warehouse today for anyone who would like to come check us out. We are sampling chocolate and coffee and have a nice selection of Valentine’s Day gifts for those of you who may need to make a purchase (hint, hint). We have some brand new products as well as some incredible deals on some jewelry and seasonal items. We are also excited to get your feedback on some new potential products. Stop by anytime before 2 p.m. today or between 6 and 9 p.m. tonight. Pull all the way around the warehouse and park in the back.

Address is: 41829 Albrae St. Suite 102, Fremont, CA, 94538

Our Valentine’s Section is up and humming along, and more and more of you are choosing to use your Valentine’s gifts to send love around the world. It’s been fun to interact with many of you who are getting creative about how you’re incorporating Fair Trade into your Valentine’s

For those of you who are still deciding, we wanted to give you an update on Valentine’s Shipping. We’ll continue to ship Valentine’s orders until Wednesday at 4pm. Here are the details.

Tuesday, 4pm PST: Deadline for 3-day shipping
Wednesday, 4pm PST: Deadline for 2-day shipping

Sadly, we’re temporarily sold out of our Hearts from Haiti, but we’ll have more up on the site next week. We’ve got a bunch of new products for Valentine’s, including a personal favorite: the Fair Trade Cuppa. It’s a gift of time, and of food (and drink) for thought. It includes some delicious Fair Trade Tea, some tasty Fair Trade chocolate, a Fair Trade coffee mug, and “Good News About Injustice,” by our friend Gary Haugen. It all comes in one of our special Newspaper Bags from India. The book is a must read for those of us that struggle with the weight of injustice in our world, and are looking for a glimmer of hope amongst all of the statistics and stories. Check out our whole Valentine’s Section by clicking here.