Think Globally: Fair Trade and Sustainable Options in Atlanta

A buzzword, a publicity stunt, a livelihood, a label and a minimum. These are all words people mention when talking about fair trade. 

World Fair Trade is Saturday, May 14, and one store in Atlanta is celebrating. While many locals have heard the term, most don’t understand what it really means. 

The Fairtrade Foundation says it is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.

Rachel Walters, who calls herself an environmentally conscious and socially aware, said fair trade is “a consumer-driven social movement by which producers are encouraged to pay a fair price, often higher than average and promote sustainable farming practices.”

“I am not sure there is an awareness of what [fair trade] actually defines,” she said. “I am not aware of the certification process or how it is regulated.”

Juliet White, volunteer coordinator of fair trade retailer in Virginia-Highland, said that Atlanta is still making headway in being socially and environmentally responsible.

Ten Thousand Villages can be found around the country and has been in Atlanta for 18 years. All the products they sell — home decor items, personal accessories and gifts from across the globe — are Fairtrade certified.

Marg Lambert, owner of Ten Thousand Villages, said that many people who come into her store say they are all for fair trade, but they don’t seem to know what it means.

Even some sellers don’t understand it. She mentioned a storeowner who said her items were fair trade because she visited the factory and the workers looked very happy.

Ruksana Hussain, owner of retail wholesale business Ideas Are Us, applies the principles of fair trade to her products, which can be found in Inman Park.

“Fair trade products are important to me because I have the satisfaction of knowing that the product I hold in my hand was not made in a dingy sweatshop somewhere where there is mass production under less than minimum work conditions,” Hussain said.

Steve Franklin, owner of Java Vino in Poncey-Highland, said he doesn’t advocate for Fairtrade products. “It’s the lowest level of certification,” he said.

Fairtrade means that workers are only paid minimum wage, and he said it only certifies co-ops.

Right now, the coffee market is much higher than minimum wage. It’s possible that producers could be locked into fair trade contracts that are paying them less than what they could be making.

The coffee Java Vino sells is all produced sustainably. Some of it is certified Fairtrade, while much of it is direct trade, meaning that the middlemen are removed from the process.

Franklin’s wife is a coffee farmer, and he usually takes some of his customers to a coffee farm once per year.

He said, being certified organic usually pays more to the workers. He also likes the Rainforest Alliance and shade grown coffee for its quality.

The minimum Fairtrade requirements are something that Ten Thousand Villages acknowledges as well.

White said the stores create consistent relationships with the artisans, something most people do not do. They also send consultants to teach the artisans new skills that are popular in North America.

Lambert added that they also make sure the workers’ children get education, that they have insurance and a way to save their money.

Ten Thousand Villages will host a Fair Trade Coffee Break Saturday, May 14 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Customers can get a free gift, Fairtrade refreshments and will have the chance to pop a balloon to receive five to 25 percent off one store item.

“Every year a few more for Fair Trade day,” Lambert said. “It’s about educating the people that do come in.”  

She said has noticed that more locals are aware of fair trade. She points to big corporations promoting the concept as one reason.

, which has a location around the corner from her store, and Starbucks are two companies she mentions that offer some Fairtrade options.

Word of mouth is the best way to get the word out, she said. “It’s when your friends tell you something, you believe them.”

Fairtrade is really about understanding the impact of buying decisions. Who made the product and under what conditions?

For consumers looking to make more sustainable choices, Franklin said, “Coffee is the easiest way to make a big impact for very poor people.”

Here are a few other places to find Fairtrade coffee in Atlanta. Also, some grocery stores and markets offer Fairtrade options and other places provide sustainable options that might not be certified fair trade.

• in the Sweet Auburn Curb Market has 100 percent organic, Fairtrade coffee. They even have fair trade chocolate made with their own espresso beans. 

• in Candler Park, which is known for its sustainable practices, has coffee roasted by Java Vino.

• Park Grounds in Reynoldstown serves Fairtrade Counter Culture Coffee.

Thinking globally can be a difficult thing to do especially for people who have a hard time paying their bills.

“I think in today's economy, often consumer decisions come down to the battle of cost vs. social responsibility,” Hussain said. “Education as to what the few extra cents, or even dollars, mean to the economies and people in developing countries, I feel, would make consumers at least consider readjusting their budgets to be more socially responsible.”