Saffron Road Celebrates Fair Trade USA’s 20th Anniversary

Fair Trade USA just completed their 20th anniversary celebration this October, and here at Saffron Road, it has given us a lot to think about.

There is a lot to unpack within the fair trade movement, because its reach is so wide, and it symbolizes so much about who we are as a global society today, and what can happen when we unite for the greater good.

As a little background, the fair trade movement was started by Paul Rice who was able to convince 24 local coffee growers in Nicaragua that they could stand up and demand their worth. Because these growers had the courage–the audacity–to value themselves and demand that the world do the same, millions of lives have been changed beyond belief.

By 2016, Fair Trade Certified™ product sales reached an estimated $6 billion in the United States alone, and those sales have consequently resulted in $551 million dollars in additional income for fair trade farmers and workers. That’s extra income that goes to keeping families alive, healthy, and safe, and to making healthy, quality products.

The fair trade movement is a beautiful thing because it has shined a spotlight on so many everyday heros that make the world a better place. It has illuminated the heroic efforts of hard working men and women who demand fair pay for their quality products. It has illuminated the existence of a large, thriving group of conscious consumers in the western world who are aware, informed, and strong enough in their convictions to make better every day choices despite the temptation to sell out. It has illuminated the countless companies who commit to doing the right thing and making sure their products are fair trade certified, despite the risks. And it has built a bridge of cooperation and humanity between all of these different players, connecting us with a higher mission and purpose.

Everyone who chooses to participate in this movement is making a statement that our world can do better; that we, as humans, can be better; and that the products we use, eat, and grow have intrinsic value that corporate greed cannot take away. This concept summarizes everything that Saffron Road’s Journey to Better™ represents.

So today, we would like to thank all of our customers and all members of the Fair Trade movement for their everyday heroic efforts. We want to encourage all of you to keep up the good fight, and to use this occasion of Fair Trade USA’s 20th anniversary to remind yourself that you are not alone in the fight for conscious consumerism.

Saffron Road is honored to be associated with the Fair Trade movement, to work in partnership with Fair Trade USA, and to help our customers, suppliers, and team of employees take strides on their own personal Journey to Better™.

Adnan Durrani, Founder/CEO of Saffron Road