Years Ahead of the Trend to Trade Fair

Corporate social responsibility is a banner more and more companies fly these days. It’s popular to say and looks good in slick magazines and promotions. But, how many companies actually live corporate social responsibility when producing their products?

Drop by your local supermarket and scan the shelves for brands of organic sugar or honey, for example. Spot any products with the words “Fair Trade Certified™” on the bag? Do you know what the black-and-white label stands for?

Simply put, it means the farmers who produced the food you’re holding in your hand – usually poorer farming communities in Latin America, Africa and Asia – are being given a fair shake in the marketplace.

The impact is far-reaching because this Fair Trade label on a product signifies a lot more than just a fair price. It also stands for fair labor conditions, eliminating middlemen wherever possible, environmental sustainability and control over investing revenues.

Coffee farmers first benefitted from this fair trade empowerment. Today, the Fair Trade Certified mark is appearing on more food products – such as rice, vanilla, chocolate, fresh fruit and sugar.

Out in front of this movement in the sugar industry is Wholesome Sweeteners, an Imperial Sugar joint venture. It’s the first major U.S. sweetener company to receive Fair Trade certification for sugar, and that distinction came four years ago.

Since then, the company has expanded its line of Fair Trade Certified products. In 2008, Wholesome Sweeteners introduced the first Fair Trade Honey to the USA: Organic Fair Trade Amber Honey and Organic Fair Trade Raw Honey.

Pauline McKee, a senior executive at Wholesome Sweeteners, explains: “Our unique honeys are produced by Mayan beekeepers in Southern Mexico, who are continuing in the traditions of their ancestors. The hives are located deep within the jungle and the bees forage on wildflowers. We worked directly with the farmers for two years to obtain Organic & Fair Trade certification for the co-ops.”

She points out: “We are the first company to export their honey to the USA and this brings much needed additional funds to the farming community.”

Wholesome Sweeteners’ Fair Trade Certified presence in the marketplace keeps growing. They have contributed more than $1.5 million in additional income to support sugar cane farmers and beekeepers of Malawi (Africa), Costa Rica, Paraguay and Mexico.

With the additional income, growers can compete with so-called “factory farms,” develop the quality of their crops, send their children to school and build thriving communities. That’s what a fair shake in the marketplace looks like, many times over, as its benefits resonate throughout these growers’ communities.

“Wholesome Sweeteners holds fast to a ‘Fair Trade, Not Aid’ philosophy,” says McKee. “This resonates well with our customers, who continue to choose Fair Trade products in increasing volumes. We believe it is important to have a successful dynamic business and still be a bastion for corporate social and environmental responsibility.”

It seems that a fair shake and good business do go hand in hand, as McKee says: “You really can make the world a sweeter place; one spoonful at a time.”

Read more about Wholesome Sweeteners. Click here.