OAKLAND, Calif.—2009 was a record-breaking year for fair trade coffee, wine, spice and fresh fruit imports, according to TransFair USA's 2009 Almanac Highlights Fair Trade Imports. The 2009 edition showcases record volumes of fair trade certified imports, fair trade expansion into popular new product categories, and reflects a surge in consumer demand and increased brand recognition for fair trade certified goods.
In 2009, TransFair USA certified more than 100 million pounds of Fair Trade coffee. This is an increase of 20 million pounds over 2008 figures and is more than was certified in TransFair USA’s first seven years combined. Coffee is fair trade’s flagship product, and its 2009 growth resulted in more than $45 million in additional income paid to farmers.
“As consumer demand for ethically-produced goods increases, we’re able to chip away at the cycle of poverty that plagues farming communities around the world,” said Paul Rice, president and CEO of TransFair USA. “Through their participation in fair trade, farming families around the world captured more than $45 million in additional income. From those funds, $14 million will be invested in community development programs that provide access to education and life-saving health care.”
Wine was another product that saw growth in 2009, totaling a 460-percent rise in imports in just its second year. TransFair USA certified the first fair trade wines for the U.S. market in 2008. This spike resulted in additional income for wine producers climbing from just under $15,000 in 2008 to $114,064 in this past year.
Spices and vanilla saw a 240-percent growth in imports, and sugar rose by 20 percent. Some fair trade mainstays such as tea and flowers had similar numbers to 2008, while imports for cocoa represent the only category to dip in 2009.
Fair trade products also expanded into several new product categories in 2009 including sports balls, olive oil, quinoa, Brazil nuts and shea butter. The seven new producer organizations that these products were sourced from saw almost $30,000 in additional income.
At the end of 2009, more than 350 certified producer organizations were affiliated with 813 companies that ranged from boutique shops to artisan coffee roasters to multi-national corporations. This combination has given rise to the over 6,000 fair trade certified products now available in the United States, 259 of which were newly added in 2009.
Fair Trade certification is a market-based system for sustainable development that ensures importers and retailers pay fair prices and wages to farmers and farm workers who grow and produce goods in accordance with rigorous social, economic and environmental standards. TransFair USA, a nonprofit organization, is a third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States. TransFair USA audits and certifies transactions between U.S. companies and their international suppliers to guarantee farmers and workers producing fair trade certified goods were paid fair prices and wages.