Resources & Advocacy

Photo credits: School children in Nahuala (Guatemala), Aceh (Sumatra) and Yirgacheffee (Ethiopia)

Advocates, Businesses and Organizations

Fairtrade Canada - The only independent Fairtrade certification organization for coffee, tea, cocoa and sugar in Canada. www.fairtradecanada.ca

Alternative Grounds - A community-based Coffee House and Roastery in Toronto roasting and selling Fairtrade only coffees since 1995. www.alternativegrounds.com

Cooperative Coffees - A fairtrade green bean buying cooperative made up of roasters and sellers from around North America - of which Alternative Grounds is one! www.coopcoffees.com

Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO) - This is the Independent international body that guarantees that products sold anywhere in the world with a Fairtrade label conform to Fairtrade Standards and contributes to the development of disadvantaged producers and workers. www.fairtrade.net

Fair Trade Federation (FTF) - This is an association made up of committed fair trade businesses and organizations in North America. They have recently published the FTF Case Study Gallery which promotes 9 principles of fair trade, each featuring exemplary organizations/businesses. Check it out at www.fairtradeprinciples.org

Latin American and Caribbean Network of Small Fair Trade Producers (CLAC) – This network comprises 300 organizations representing small producers in 21 Latin America and Caribbean countries. The CLAC advocates on behalf of over 200,000 farmers and provides support in the areas of knowledge exchange, farmer-to-farmer collaboration, training and coordination. Its mandate is to strengthen the role and participation of small producers and cooperatives working within the fair trade movement. In 2011, they launched the Small Producers' Symbol as a tool to help consumers distinguish products made by its associated (small-scale producers), from those of large plantation systems now subscribing to FLO. www.clac-comerciojusto.org, www.tusimbolo.org

Équiterre - (Fr. equity, earth) A Québec-based non-profit collective dedicated to promoting ecological and socially just choices through action, education and research. www.equiterre.qc.ca

Fair World Project - Informative one-stop website maintained by the Organic Consumers Association in the U.S. It promotes "fairtrade in commerce, especially in organic production systems" and aims to "protect the term 'fairtrade' from dilution and misuse for mere PR purposes, as conscious consumers expand the market for daily trade products". www.fairworldproject.org

La Siembra Coop - Incorporated in 1999, this was the first organization to import, manufacture and distribute Fairtrade certified organic cocoa products in North America. La Siembra offers high-quality and certified Fairtrade organic chocolate bars, cocoa, hot chocolate, etc. www.lasiembra.com

Oxfam Canada - A non-profit international development organization that supports community programmes that address food security, health, nutrition and democratic development. In 2002, Oxfam launched the “Make Trade Fair” campaign. Learn more at www.oxfam.ca

The Equita Network - A distributor of certified Fairtrade products; operated by Oxfam since 1996. Equita’s mission is to raise awareness in Canada on the effect of globalization on small scale farmers and on how ethical consumption can be a powerful tool to change the world. They are also distributors of Fairtrade certified spices, rice, chocolates, etc. www.equita.qc.ca

Café Unidos - Great resource! Provides lots of information on sustainable coffee and effective suggestions to help foster relationships between growers, sellers and buyers of coffee. www.cafeunidos.org

Sierra Eco - This site is focused on improving the quality of life for the earth and its inhabitants through the development and implementation of standards for the cut-flower industry. Provides up-to-date information on certification process and lists florists who carry fair-trade organic certified flowers. www.sierraeco.com

Flower Label Program (FLP) - A European initiative spearheaded and maintained by worldwide human rights organisations, trade unions and flower trade workers seeking justice and fairness in the cut-flower industry. www.flower-label-program.org

Nueva Vida Women's Sewing Cooperative (COMAMNUVI) - A Fair Trade Zone worker-owned cooperative in Nicaragua that manufactures high quality sweatshop-free clothing at competitive prices. www.fairtradezone.jhc-cdca.org

Just Shirts & the Single Mother’s Co-operative of El Salvador - A Calgary-based clothing consumer/worker cooperative and their worker-operated/owned garment coop partner dedicated to producing and selling fairly-traded, thoughtfully-designed quality clothing. www.justshirts.ca

Maquila Solidarity Network - A Canadian advocacy group working to improve conditions and living wages for workers in the garment industry. MSN offers a great list of resources on sweatshop conditions, independent monitoring and workers' struggles in Mexico, Central America, and Asia. Action kits and opportunities to participate are available at www.maquilasolidarity.org

Magazines

New Internationalist - Reports on issues of world poverty and inequality, and debates and campaigns for global justice and positive change (Back Issues 322, 204 & 38 focus on trade). www.newint.org

Adbusters - A not-for-profitreader-supported magazine that offers incisive philosophical articles as well as activist commentary from around the world. www.adbusters.org

Briarpatch - A Saskatchewan's independent alternative news magazine committed to building a socialist democratic society. Great articles and thoughtful reports on economic democracy, peace, equality, democracy, social justice, Aboriginal self-determination and environment justice. www.briarpatchmagazine.com

Food First e-Newsletter - Visit their Development Report Issue #17 at www.foodfirst.org/node/1794 for "Fair to the Last Drop: The Corporate Challenge to Fair Trade Coffee"

Books

Coffee with Pleasure: Just Java and World Trade by Laure Waridel

Maria the Seed of a Revolution by Normand Roy and Stephane Proulx

Coffee with a Cause: Moving Towards Fair Trade by Laure Waridel

No-nonsense Guide to Fair Trade by David Ransom

Javvatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fairtrade Coffee by Dean Cycon

Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World Food System by Raj Patel

The Value of Nothing: Why everything costs so much more than we think by Raj Patel

Educational Resources

Fair Trade Coffee Workshop Kit by Oxfam, www.oxfam.ca

Dubble, the Fair Trade Choc Bar Website, an informative and fun website for children, teachers and parents who wish to learn about Fairtrade and the chocolate industry, www.dubble.co.uk

The Seed Map, a teaching tool that shows the state of global agro-diversity today, www.seedmap.org

Pareil pas Pareil, an animated educational short produced by Equiterre that highlights the differences between conventional and fairtrade chocolate products, www.pareilpaspareil.com (in French only)

Audio/Visual

The Strength of the Indigenous People of Mut Vitz: Producing Fair Trade Organic Coffee in the Highlands of Chiapas (2000, 21:03 min., Tzeltal/Spanish with English sub-titles), distributed by the Chiapas Media Project, www.chiapasmediaproject.org

Grounds for Action: The Maya Vinic Coffee Cooperative in Chiapas, Mexico (2004, 20:00 min., Tzeltal/Spanish/English with English sub-titles), distributed by Global Exchange, store.gxonlinestore.org/grounds4action.html

Common Grounds: Giving Coffee a New Flavour (Vision TV, 1998, 55:00 min., English), distributed by Magic Lantern Communications, (416) 675-1155

Fairtrade Shorts - 4 short films produced by the Fairtrade Foundation in the U.K, www.fairtrade.org.uk/resources_film.htm

Building a Just World: Fairtrade, Ethical Trade and Canada, a three-part radio documentary series that explores the roots of our current trade system, the history of Fairtrade in Canada and the challenges ahead; produced by Kristin Schwartz and Asad Ismi in collaboration with CKLN 88.1 fm. To download visit www.radio4all.net

Zatoun, a life story in 4 parts, a great audio documentary on the history of a grassroots initiative which is supporting the development of fairtrade opportunities in Palestine and helping olive farming cooperatives connect with the North American market. to order or download a copy visit www.zatoun.com/audiozatoun.htm