Fair Trade, Fair Teas
We believe that one of the ways we can uphold our commitment to sustainability is to obtain social and sustainable certifications, such as Fair Trade Certification.
Fair Trade Certified Teas
Fair Trade Partners
What is Fair Trade Certification?
How Does Fair Trade Certification Work?
Fair Trade Certified Teas
Organic ChamomileOrganic Chamomile with Lavender
Organic Cran-Aid ®
Organic Easy Now®
Organic Golden Ginger
Organic Golden Green Tea®
Organic Green Tea with Ginger
Organic Heartburn Soother®
Organic Nighty Night®
Organic Spearmint
Organic Weightless® Cranberry
"Just for Kids" Organic Cold Care
"Just for Kids" Organic Tummy Comfort ®
"Just for Kids" Organic Nighty Night ®
Relaxation Herb Tea Sampler
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Fair Trade Partners
We are grateful to these organizations that are working to ensure safe, respectable and sound farming and production practices around the world. They allow us to build our business on principles of sustainability and human justice.Royal Ottoman Farms, Egypt
The Royal Ottoman Farms are spread over 4,000 acres in the regions of Fayoum, Menya, New Valley, Oases, Beni sweif, Asuit, Nubaria and Aswan. Founded in 1906, in the upper Egyptian city of Apotik, the Royal Ottoman commitment to Fair Trade principles ensures a sustainable livelihood for a worker and farmer community of over a thousand people.
We obtain organic, Fair Trade Certified™ chamomile, hibiscus and spearmint from the Royal Ottoman Farms.
Sekem, Egypt
The word “Sekem” is a transliteration of a hieroglyph that means “vitality.” The Sekem Initiative farm was founded in 1977 in the deserts to the northeast of Cairo. With a mission to restore and maintain the vitality of the soil and food as well as the biodiversity of nature through sustainable, organic agriculture and to support social and cultural development in Egypt, the Sekem Initiative has developed many biodynamic farms for the cultivation of medicinal plants.
We obtain organic, Fair Trade Certified™ spearmint and chamomile from the Sekem Initiative farm.
Ambootia Estate, India
The Ambootia Estate is a beautiful tea plantation nestled in the rugged foothills of the Himalayas in Darjeeling, India. Abandoned after the fall of British rule in India, the Estate has been nurtured back to health through a commitment to environmental and social sustainability, creating a thriving environment for people and plants.
We obtain organic, Fair Trade Certified™ green tea leaf from the Ambootia Estate.
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What is Fair Trade Certification?
Fair Trade Certification ensures that farmers of commodity crops (primarily tea, coffee and cocoa, but also certain herbs, spices, bananas and other types of produce) are paid living wages, work in a safe environment and produce exceptional products without any child labor.Historically, farmers of these commodity crops have been exploited, often working in dangerous conditions for far below poverty wages. Meanwhile, exporters and intermediaries have been allowed to profit off these low wages and conditions. Not so with Fair Trade Certification.
Any product that carries the Fair Trade Certified™ label guarantees the following things:
- Fair Prices and Living Wages. Farmers and workers receive a fair price for their product and their labor. It means that farmers can support their families, and their children can go to school instead of working in the fields.
- Community Empowerment. Having reliable markets for their products and receiving living wages means that farming communities become stable. This stability allows them to develop community assistance programs such as medical care, help for college tuition, and other community-driven initiatives.
- Environmental Sustainability. Many Fair Trade Certified™ products are also certified organic. Environmentally sound practices preserve native environments by encouraging biodiversity, reducing pollutants in the environment, preserving habitat for wildlife, and helping to reduce global warming.
- Quality. Because farmers and producers receive a fair price and living wages, they can focus on creating quality products.
- Standards. The farm where the tea or herbs are grown meets specific standards for the wages, living situation, and working conditions of its pickers.
- Fair Trade Premium. For every tea purchase, a Fair Trade premium goes directly back to the tea workers themselves. A committee, elected by the workers, decides how these funds will be used to meet the community's most serious needs. Tea workers have used Fair Trade premiums to hire school teachers, build maternal health clinics, guarantee child care, develop pension funds and bring electricity to their villages, among other projects.
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How Does Fair Trade Certification Work?
The certifying organization, TransFair USA, audits and monitors the business practices of importers and manufacturers to ensure that the products purchased meet the international Fair Trade criteria. These are established by the Fair Trade Labeling Organizations International (FLO). FLO inspects producers on its Fair Trade Register to ensure that the benefits of Fair Trade are reaching the farmers. TransFair USA documents that Fair Trade Certified criteria were met and that farmers received a fair price.TransFair USA is the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade Certified products in the United States. They work with importers and manufacturers to guarantee consumers that any who carry the Fair Trade Certified label have purchased their products in accordance with the international standards of Fair Trade. They provide certification, documentation, and an audit trail. In the short time that TransFair USA has provided this service, they have helped generate an additional $100 million of additional income for farmers around the world.
You can learn more about Fair Trade Certified and the standards that guide it at:
Fair Trade USA - the organization that certifies all Fair Trade Certified products in the United States.
Fair Trade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) - a consortium of Fair Trade licensing initiatives in 20 countries around the world, including Europe, North America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
The Fair Trade Resource Network - an organization that raises consumer awareness about improving people's lives through Fair Trade alternatives.
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