Equal exchange was founded in 1986 as a way to bring fair
trade products to U.S.
consumers. The company only works with worker owned cooperatives which are both
environmentally sound and economically just. Today the company works with 32
cooperatives in 18 countries in Latin America, Africa, and South
Asia. They provide products including coffee, tea, cocoa, and
chocolate all of which are fair traded. These products are available in stores
such as Kroger, Stop and Shop, along with many natural food stores. Through the
organization's efforts the middle man has been eliminated and a direct
connection now exists between producers and consumers.
The company itself is a worker owned cooperative with each
employ investing in the company along with 300 external investors. Today the
company sells over $20 million in fair trade products of which $1.7 million
goes directly back to producers through credit lines. In the next 20 years
Equal Exchange wants to have 2 million participants trading $1 billion in fair
trade products. For more information on this company please visit their
website.
