World Fair Trade Day has us reflecting on how our everyday purchases help shape the global food system and the lives of the people within it. For instance, when you buy from fair trade products from producers like Equal Exchange, you might think you’re simply buying coffee or chocolate, but you’re also supporting cooperatives, workers’ rights, environmental stewardship, and an alternative model of trade built on equity and democracy.
You may recognize Equal Exchange from our Produce departments or the Bulk and Grocery aisles, where its coffee, tea, chocolate, nuts, bananas, and avocados appear throughout Seward Co-op stores. What’s less visible is how those products get here. Equal Exchange is a worker-owned cooperative, and it partners exclusively with small-scale farmer cooperatives around the world.
Equal Exchange was founded in 1986 by a group of longtime food co-op workers who wanted to prove that trade could be structured differently. It all began with coffee from Nicaragua, which, at the time, was under an embargo imposed by the Reagan administration. The founders of Equal Exchange, all long-time workers of food co-ops, circumvented this by sending coffee beans to Amsterdam for roasting. This small, clever action allowed the beans to be imported to the U.S. as a product of Amsterdam. After months of being held in customs, the shipment was finally released on May 1, International Workers’ Day. That moment set the tone for Equal Exchange becoming a company rooted in persistence and solidarity.
From the beginning, Equal Exchange was designed to mirror the democratic structures of the farmer-owned cooperatives with which it works. Today, the company partners with over 40 small-scale farmer organizations worldwide, building long-term relationships that prioritize fair prices, environmental sustainability, and community investment. Farmers collectively decide how to use fair trade and organic premiums, whether that means improving infrastructure, investing in climate resilience, or supporting women’s leadership.
Supporting Equal Exchange means supporting a system where workers have rights, farmers have power, and communities can thrive. This World Fair Trade Day, look for Equal Exchange logos and know that your purchase helps build a more democratic food system for all.
Fair trade is a global movement and certification system that makes sure farmers and producers are paid fairly and have safe working conditions. Instead of letting the global market decide what workers earn, fair trade sets a guaranteed minimum price so they can rely on a stable income. Farmers can also receive extra money called a community premium, which they get to decide together how to spend.
