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What makes Equal Exchange tea unique? |
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Equal Exchange has been working to change the terms of trade for small-scale coffee, tea, and cocoa farmers since 1986. In most countries, tea is grown as part of the plantation system. In fact, the majority of certified Fair Trade tea is currently grown on plantations. Because we believe in small farmers, we at Equal Exchange are increasingly working with small-scale tea producers to bring change to this system.
A few years ago, in a controversial move, one of the two Fair Trade certifiers changed a key requirement when they constructed the Fair Trade model for tea. They decided that due to the scarcity of small farmers in the major tea producing countries such as India and Sri Lanka, the model would revolve around plantations rather than small farms. In addition, a vague “higher than normal” price replaced the easily verifiable "minimum price" requirement. The result was a certification that has significantly different standards than its coffee counterpart. By focusing the Fair Trade model on plantations, small farmers already weak in the tea economy, were further marginalized.
In 1998, Equal Exchange entered the tea market because we saw an opportunity to work with the small farmers of the Mineral Springs Cooperative in Darjeeling. We visited them in 2005 and observed the growth in the capacity of the co-op. But more importantly, we saw how co-op members were sharing their experience and knowledge with other small tea farmers. The Equal Exchange tea program has a strong network of support which also includes a larger partner, Tea Promoters of India (TPI), a group of six family-owned tea plantations that has an exemplary history of supporting alternative tea models. Mission-driven Fair Trade organizations have played a key role in taking risks and creating a market for small farmer tea. Our allies in this work include organizations such as Equal Exchange (U.K.), SERRV (U.S.), and Alter Eco (France). But the most important allies for small farmer tea are food co-ops, natural food stores, and churches. The support of these groups will be vital in building the market and educating consumers, and in helping to make a small farmer Fair Trade tea a success.
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