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Equal Exchange Announces Its First Fair Trade Certified™ Sugar |
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Fair Trade Pioneers Expand Their Work with Small-scale Cane Growers
WEST BRIDGEWATER, MA—March 16th, 2005—Equal Exchange announces today
that it has broadened its work to offer Fair Trade Certified™ sugar in
3.5 gram single-serving packets. This marks the latest expansion of
Equal Exchange's efforts to bring the benefits of Fair Trade to more
farmers worldwide, and to more consumers in the United States. The
organic evaporated cane sugar is grown by three cooperatives of
small-scale farmers in Paraguay, and is imported in collaboration with
La Siembra, a Fair Trade worker cooperative in Ottawa, Canada. The
initial Fair Trade certification is provided by the non-profit
organization, TransFair Canada, in agreement with its American
counterpart, TransFair USA.
The Fair Trade model ensures higher incomes for these sugar cane
growers, who often face unpredictable swings in the prices paid for
their crop. Fair Trade also provides support for their cooperatives, a
key to self-help efforts and local economic development. On average the
150 participating families cultivate less than 20 acres of sugar cane
each and therefore cannot individually afford to invest in the
infrastructure that would help them raise their standard of living. By
combining their efforts with neighboring farmers, and with the extra
income generated by Fair Trade sales, social and economic improvements
have become possible.
The cooperatives have already used Fair Trade funds to set up
educational scholarships for their children, to open a new warehouse,
and a telecommunications center. They have also purchased equipment,
including large scales and a crane, to perform more value-added
processing.
Equal Exchange began selling the sugar packets in November, 2004, and
now distributes the sugar to café's, restaurants, consumer food
cooperatives, and to churches participating in Equal Exchange's unique
Interfaith Coffee Program. Numerous requests for Fair Trade sugar from
places of worship were a key factor in the decision to add this new
product.
Equal Exchange is promoting this new product at the Natural Products
Expo West in Anaheim, California, March 18-20. The sugar will be
available at the Equal Exchange booth, #4127.
Since Equal Exchange's founding in 1986 the worker cooperative has
continually expanded the reach of Fair Trade through its products and
programs. In addition to growing their core Fair Trade coffee
operation, and publicly promoting the Fair Trade model, a third
approach has been to expand into new food and beverage categories.
Towards this goal Equal Exchange launched its line of fairly traded
organic teas in 1998. In 2002 Equal Exchange first began working with
the Paraguayan cooperatives, when their sugar was used for Equal
Exchange's organic hot cocoa mix. In 2004 Equal Exchange greatly
expanded its work with both sugar and cocoa farmers when it introduced
organic, Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate bars.
Equal Exchange, a pioneer and U.S. market leader in Fair Trade coffee
since 1986, is a full service provider of high quality, organic coffee,
tea, cocoa products and chocolate to retailers and food service
establishments. Major customers include Kroger, Safeway, Shaw's, Stop
& Shop, and Hannaford supermarkets, natural food stores, consumer
food cooperatives, cafés, restaurants, and thousands of places of
worship nationwide. 100% of Equal Exchange products are fairly traded,
benefiting 27 small farmer cooperatives in 16 countries around the
world. In keeping with its Fair Trade mission Equal Exchange is a
worker cooperative, owned and democratically controlled by its
employees.
For more information on Fair Trade:
www.transfair.ca/en/ & www.fairtrade.net/sites/standards/sp.html
Contact: Rodney North
rnorth@equalexchange.com
50 United Drive, West Bridgewater, MA 02379 USA
774-776-7398
www.equalexchange.com
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