Fair Trade Tea

Buying Certified Fair Trade Tea  means that you are ensuring that farmers in Africa, Latin America, and Asia are getting a fair price for their products.  Major corporations buy from small farmers at the world market, which means many farmers in third world countries are living below the poverty level.  Fair Trade makes companies buy from suppliers at the production costs so that the farmers can invest in new technologies, equipment, and helping the community. These premiums have financed new computer learning centers and educational endowments, and health care programs that include nutrition, family planning, special medical needs, clean drinking water and toilets for every household.  The Fair Trade movement supports tea workers by guaranteeing compliance with national and regional minimum wages and labor standards. The premiums are also allocated to promote sustainability to ensure a higher level of environmental stewardship.

Fair Trade Standards

Fair trade is a social movement and a market based approach towards helping producers reach sustainability.  By advocating a higher payment to growers of goods, they help workers gain self-sufficiency and give them a higher stake in the products.  There are two fair trade standards: standards for small farms and hired labor situations:

• In small farming situations, there must be democratic decision making among the workers.  All producers must have a say in how Fair Trade Premiums are invested.
• In hired labor situations, workers must be payed what is regionally referred to as decent wages, and all health and safety standards must be met.  Child labor is prohibited.

View TransFair USA's complete list of Fair Trade Certified Teas.

Fair Trade Tea Brands

This is just a small sample of popular Fair Trade Tea Certified companies.  

Ambassador Organics Tea	China Mist Tea	Equal Exchange Tea	Honest Tea	The Tao of Tea

 

Numi Tea	The Republic of Tea	Choice Organic Tea	Ambrosia Organic Tea	Zhena's Gypsy Tea

Tea Types

• Black Tea  is the most popular tea worldwide, but it does not have as many anti-oxidants as the other types.  It is also the most caffeinated
• Oolong Tea  is a difficult tea to process and tastes more like black tea. Pouchong and Formosa are two popular kinds.
• Green Tea  is closer to white tea, but green tea uses the rolled leaves and not the buds.
• White Tea  is the rarest and least processed tea.  The taste can be very grassy.

Related Guides

Tea Guide	Fair Trade Chocolate	Food and Beverage Guide	Fair Trade Coffee	Green Guide