Our Commitment to Fair Trade
We believe in direct relationships with growers, whether they are in our own backyard, or Latin America. We believe in paying a fair wage, and supporting small-scale growers in developing countries. We are a licensee and a Most Valuable Player of Fairtrade Canada.
Fair Trade is an easy extension of the Discovery Organics buying philosophy; we believe in supporting small scale farmers, endeavoring to help them build a market for their crops, and make enough money to cover the cost of production plus a fair profit on the crops we buy. Those are the same goals we have had since the first day we opened our doors.
We have seen firsthand, through numerous visits to farms in South America and Mexico, the transformative nature of Fair Trade. To learn more our partnerships in Latin America, check out our Grower Profiles!
The basic principles of fair trade
Fair prices: Farmers, hired workers, artisans and other producers receive a fair price or wage for their time and materials. Producer organizations often receive pre-harvest or pre-production credit on favourable terms.
Fair & safe labor conditions: Workers on farms, in factories and on plantations enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and humane treatment. Forced child labour is strictly prohibited.
Direct trade: Importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering producers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
Democratic and transparent organizations: Producers decide democratically how to invest Fairtrade premiums for community development and capacity building of producer organizations.
Community development: Producers invest premiums in social and business development projects like youth scholarship programs, health care, clean water access, quality improvement trainings, and organic certification.
Environmental sustainability: Harmful agrochemicals and GMOs are strictly prohibited in favoUr of environmentally sustainable methods that protect producers’ health and preserve eco-systems.