In this episode of Be Your Change, I talk to Vava Angwenyi about the importance of empowering women-owned coffee farms. Being aware of where the coffee we drive comes from critically impacts women’s financial independence in Africa and Columbia. Vava was born and raised in Kenya. She decided to be part of the solution, and in 2009, she founded the social enterprise Vava Coffee. Vava saw smiles where others only saw poverty, corruption, and fears. She noticed the voices of coffee farmers and their need to be heard.

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Women “make up around 43 percent of the agricultural labor force in developing countries”. They are especially disadvantaged and usually have more limited access to both information and services. They hold more responsibilities around the house and are now taking over more and more of the agricultural workload as men migrate out of town to find work.

The Challenges Faced by Women Coffee Farmers

In developing countries, women constitute around 43 percent of the agricultural labor force but face various disadvantages, such as limited access to information and services. As men migrate for work, women take on more agricultural responsibilities, especially in coffee farming.

Coffee is the second most traded primary product in the world.

Coffee is the second most traded primary product in the world. And the global market is estimated at more than $100 billion. So imagine what our impact could be if we were paying attention to where our cup of coffee comes from. Vava Coffee works with smallholder farmers. They are also traders and exporters of green coffee in bulk. Green coffee is coffee beans that haven’t been roasted yet. The beans are entirely raw and taste quite different from regular roasted coffee. It has a milder, more ‘herbal’ flavor.

Educating Women Coffee Farmers

Vava Coffee educates coffee producers with the knowledge they need to have better market access and understand what goes into producing good quality coffee and negotiating better prices for themselves.

Integrating women and Youth in the supply chain

Vava decided to help coffee farmers transform their lives. She focuses on incorporating more women and youth into the supply chain. They mostly work with young people, with a specific focus on women. They have run successful training for young women and currently have an ongoing project with the Michigan University unit and the Williamson Davidson Institute. So they’re conducting a research project in Colombia regarding their role in empowering women in the coffee supply chain.

Women coffee growers don’t own much land worldwide, and it is a problem

It isn’t easy to find out how many women work in the coffee industry worldwide. However, it’s more about how we can, for example, have women own land, rather than just being the laborers on the farm.

89% of the labor on coffee farms, especially in Africa is provided by women.

Latin America is slightly opposite in terms of men being also the ones that provide the work. But in Africa, 89% of the women on the farms pick the coffee cherries. And they’re not the ones who receive the payment for their work. When the husband finally delivers the coffee to the factory, women never quite get the earnings.

Women own less than 20% of all the land on the planet.

UN puts it at less than 10%. However, women make up more than 50% of the population. And 400 million women farm and produce the majority of the world’s food supply.

How to break the cycle of land ownership for women coffee growers?

Vava is working hard to change this statistic and shift this unbalance. One of the initiatives is to have men empower women by giving them a few coffee trees. There are a lot of land issues. Of course, it’s tough for some of these societies to have women own title deeds to the land. We’ve managed to have groups of men in different growing regions give the women coffee plants.

Women can take care of the coffee plants and have their source of income separated from the men. Women’s coffee is also branded differently. And that way it fetches better prices for women.

According to the world economic forum, female farmers lack equal rights to own land in more than 90 countries.

To give you an idea: land and property can form up to 75% of a nation’s wealth. Ironically, 75% of the world’s population cannot prove they own the land they live or work. 90% of Africa’s land is still wholly undocumented. It tells us exactly how big our problem is, and women are the first affected by this matter.

The impact of owning land for women coffee growers has a ripple impact

Women owning property affects reducing domestic violence, but also on humanity as a whole. Women invest 90% of their income in their immediate families. And when women own property, they tend to have more power in the house and better access to food. And finally, there’s a visible better outcome for their children.

Women tend to be better managers of financial resources

I mean, women, historically have been better managers of financial resources and they make a lot of the decisions in the household anyway as to where the money goes on what’s needed in the family.

There’s more work to be done to break the barriers to have women be brave enough to take some steps and, for example, have their own bank accounts. But also reinvest in separate projects that might be more beneficial to their households.

It is shocking to learn that more than 1.3 billion women on the planet don’t have a bank account. It is roughly 30% of the world’s women population.

The Impact of Vava’s Social Enterprise On Women

In the Rift Valley in Kenya, Vava worked with roughly 400 women. Vava’s coffee launched the first fair trade-certified women’s coffee in the whole of Africa. She helped them create their website and social media. Vava’s company also trained women on coffee quality and supported them to get funding by applying for a facility loan. They also looked at the family unit to help women get biogas units for their homes, improving the overall quality of life.

biogas is basically a way of processing cow dung. Like you’re basically, converting cow down into clean energy, which the women are using to cook instead of cutting firewood.

Biogas is a type of biofuel. It is produced from the decomposition of organic waste. It makes it environmentally friendly. And in Kenya, most of the cooking happens with firewood. Women and girls pick up the wood, which leads to lower school enrollment rates for girls and risks of health issues related to smoke inhalation and life fires. Families can do sustainably because each of these families has cows. The most significant impact on women has also been through training interns; some are now full-time employees. Mentoring women now helps them have careers in the coffee industry, and they have access to various opportunities.

What are some of the challenges Vava Coffee is experiencing?

There are more systemic challenges. We’re trying to fight a system that is really not working for producers and that’s really not been working for a while. So through our work, we are trying to influence specific policy changes.

It is tough because a lot of the systems that we’re trying to break up have been set up for a very long time way back to the colonial era as in most of these countries.

Another one is that it is a very capital-intensive industry. Vava is continuously trying to fundraise and look for large amounts of capital to enable them to run their distribution in the markets they are approaching.

Who’s been your inspiration?

Vava: I draw inspiration from various places and various people. I can say that I’ve had any like good mentors physically, but I think I draw inspiration from other entrepreneurs—those whose done amazing things. I read a lot and listen to many podcasts and stories about being an entrepreneur. Any entrepreneur in the world who’s managed to succeed despite all odds is, for me, is a fantastic person. So I read a lot of these stories to get inspired.

I mean also just drawing inspiration from how great the world is if we all just worked together to make it a better place. Yeah.

Do you think your upbringing was a factor in your desire to help? Where I grew up, entrepreneurship was not something you do after getting two degrees in school. I should have continued my math career and been a successful finance person. However, of course, I do say that. I mean, I wouldn’t be where I am. I was not brought up with discipline because entrepreneurship requires a lot of discipline. My parents are responsible for that level of discipline and commitment to something. So, I draw and get a lot of energy from people around me who do great things.

How can our listeners and readers help women’s coffee initiatives?

Just buy coffee, drink coffee, supporter, farmer. Start asking questions when you go to your coffee shop and find out where they get the coffee. Find out how they source it. Consumers can really help shift some of the things that we’re working on in the industry if they start asking more questions.

Additional Resources

• Learn more about Fair Trade Coffee
• Visit Vava coffee for more information and buying their women coffee directly.

Are you interested in learning more about fair trade? We recommend listening to some of our previous episodes, Episode 13: How AKS is Promoting Gender Equality in Pakistan and Episode 10, with Karrie Pukstas, a brand activist at Kroger on How Fair Trade Empowers Women To Be In Charge. To learn more about Fair Trade, you can also listen to Fair Talks with one of our guests Elisha Chan. 

Support women by purchasing from these brands that are supporting women.

This month, we celebrate women all around the world! It is Women History Month. At the same time, that we are celebrating women for their incredible contributions to society, women have been hit hard by the pandemic with ripple effects for years to come on communities.

Women lost more than 5.4 million jobs in 2020. During the first 10 months of the pandemic, women—particularly women of color—have lost more jobs than men as industries that employ women have been hit the hardest. – Kristin Hull Ph.D

We are at a critical turning point in our society. And we should commit to doing whatever we can to keep women in the task force. More than ever, we need to support women economically, and we need to invest in women. One of the solutions is to commit to buying fair trade & ethically source products from a fair-trade company.

Last year, Fair Trade Los Angeles celebrated a huge milestone. They made Los Angeles the largest Fair Trade City in America and the non-profit is now relaunching their highly-educational FAIR Talks to continue educating the community.

A Fair Trade Company To Help Women in Cambodia

In honor of International Women's Day on March 8th, Fair Trade LA is organizing a Fair Talks. The online event features one of their Fair Trade company member, Malia Designs. The founder Lucia Ruth is a small business owner with a big impact working with women in Cambodia.

Malia Designs’ mission is to increase economic opportunity for women in Cambodia and to support organizations that fight human trafficking in Southeast Asia. Their products are by Fair Trade made by cooperatives that employ disadvantaged people. Malia Designs connect artisans to Western markets. The fair-trade company develops partnerships to expand its access to sustainable income and safe and dignified working conditions.

Fair Trade LA is an educational nonprofit based in Los Angeles. Their mission is to educate and inspire consumers to embrace Fair Trade products so global farmers and artisans have the opportunity to earn a fair and sustainable living.

To register to Fair Talks, you can visit Fair Trade Los Angeles’s website

For More Information:

• Women in Fair Trade here
• Malia Designs Impact and Story
• Women-Owned + Fair Trade Businesses

About the author: Juliette Roy is the founder of Be Your Change media. She serves on the board of Fair Trade Los Angeles.

Fairtrade green sneakers are the AKS founders’ answer to helping women improve their lives in Pakistan.

Today we are learning how we can help women in Pakistan to become more independent and invest in their daughters’ future. In 2019, a bill introduced by Pakistani female senator, Sherry Rehman, was passed in the Pakistani Senate to increase the minimum age of marriage for females from 16 to 18. The bill aimed to end child marriage in Pakistan with a focus on girls who are the most at risk.

In 2013, UNICEF estimated at 21% the number of girls who got married before the legal age.

The 2014 Global Gender Gap Report published by the World Economic Forum ranked Pakistan as the second-worst country globally in gender equality after Yemen. Forced marriage is one of the causes of illiteracy and low education for girls.

In this article, we are talking with Drakhsan Khan, who has decided to be part of the solutions to change women's reality in Pakistan.

• From Finance to Entrepreneur
• Making an impact: a key driver
• Crowdfunding as a go-to-market strategy

How did you start your entrepreneurial journey?

My name is Drakhsan Khan, and I am the co-founder of Purple Impressions [note of the editor, the company has been renamed AKS since this interview]. I founded the company with my sister. We have similar values, and I can’t think of a better partner than my own sister. Purple impressions started with being an artisan brand and we are branching out of that towards sustainable (green) sneakers. What we have done is connected farmers with artisans and factories, and we’ve brought them together to produce a clean sneaker.

When did you decide to become an entrepreneur?

I never honestly thought that I would be an entrepreneur. My background is in finance and economics. You know, I love economics a little bit more; just studying communities and how we can uplift communities comes from that side of me. So social entrepreneurship, I guess it was a natural path to my calling I guess. And I love how the green sneakers turned out.

How did you get the idea to start a green sneaker company?

Oh, it’s a bit of an interesting story. We started our co-op with the apparel. One day, my sister and I traveled on a sourcing trip for the apparel and my sister needed shoes for herself. Being sustainable buyers ourselves, we were looking for just sustainable sneakers there. But what we found on the market were, very limited in variety and bland for our taste. So this crazy idea popped up in my sister’s head and she was and she told me, “You know, I really wish that we could put our artisans’ hand embroidery on sneakers.” And that’s really where the idea was born. Right there and then began a journey of now three years and our green sneakers are getting more and more popular.

What happened afterward?

What began as a business trip for our apparel, Purple Impression, ended in our coming up with a new idea. We are now phasing them out and branching more into the sneakers Fuse sneakers. The sneakers are kind of like a fusion of hand embroidery and a classic sneaker.

Why did you choose Pakistan to create a sustainable green sneakers line?

Yeah, actually, it is a little bit of a personal story. I spent two years living in Pakistan when I was about eight or nine years old. I’ve lived in artisan and farming communities over there and I’ve seen the lack of gender equality in that country. And that was something very hard for me to see. I see myself in a place of privilege, and I wanted to give back to them in some way. And I guess just knowing what beautiful skills they have, it was just only natural for me to go back and use their skills in a creative way to produce our green sneakers.

What has been the impact of your company in Pakistan?

Yeah, so for us, really, the goal was to provide a clean product. I mean, we had been doing artisan goods for some time, but we were doing something new. When you are putting something as unique as hand embroidery on something, you want it to last. You want it to be meaningful. Something good that you can pass on to the next generation. I mean, traditionally, that is what hand embroidery was used for. So we wanted to make sure that whatever product we were producing had a clean supply chain. And thus, our green sneakers made all the sense.

When you say ‘good’ what do you mean?

So what we mean by that is good for the people and good for the planet. Again going back to the farmers. We decided to use organic cotton, which is tied very closely to women’s development. 80% of cotton pickers are women, and their health gets deeply affected, especially in cotton farming, through the pesticides that get used. That is why we decided to use organic cotton to make sure that the cotton pickers' health was taken care of. And our cotton is also fair trade certified. So again, we offer a fair price for the farmers. So that is one level of impact. On the second level, we have hand-embroidery where we have our own co-op that we use.

How else is your factory beneficial to the locals?

So all of the artisans are our own employees and we give them a fair wage for all the work they do for us. And at the third level, we have our factory partners. 10% of every shoe that we sell actually goes into garment work, the Carmen factory workers fund, very separate from the factory. Then that fund gets distributed for workers, kids, healthcare, education, and they have a full say on where that money gets spent. That ends up being three levels of impact through a purer and clean product. This is good for people who are producing green sneakers and for the planet and the people who are wearing them.

What does it look like to work in Pakistan?

The short answer would be that, just like any country, there are thriving cities that are more forward-thinking. So Pakistan is no different. There are cities in Pakistan that are where women are thriving and doing some great work. But at the same time, there are rural villages where there is a need for women’s development. It was interesting to me that Pakistan is amongst one of the four countries that lack gender equality.

The amount of child marriages in Pakistan is quite high. This is something that I can testify to because I have seen it and I also come from that community. So our work is very focused on that. There is a lot that can be done. Unfortunately, not a lot of people are going to Pakistan due to the perceived political climate. Honestly, I think I was able to give back, and I decided to do so. But the reality on the ground is different. You know, it is not as bad as what we hear.

There is some great tourism over in Pakistan. There are great opportunities there. There are amazing talents and a lot of Pakistan is undiscovered. So there is definitely an opportunity to do a lot more.

When you empower women economically to get out of poverty, it usually impacts the whole community. Is it the same in Pakistan?

Yeah, absolutely. We have definitely witnessed that. Whatever income our artisan women earn, they invest directly in their children or their family.

And our hope is that when we empower women financially, that money would be reinvested back in their daughters’ education. So the whole idea is to prevent child marriages and invest more in girls' education.

How did you decide on the go-to-market strategy?

So we used the crowdfunding campaign. We were able to raise $30000 from selling about like about 300 pairs of green sneakers. Remember, we are a small business and dealing with a handmade product that cannot be scaled very quickly. Crowdfunding for us was a little bit challenging. I find that crowdfunding works a lot better with more scalable products. But in terms of planning, it took us about two months to plan the campaign and put it all together.

What challenges did you experience?

Crowdfunding is definitely a great way to enter the market. There is no doubt about that. It served that purpose for us, but I would tell entrepreneurs not to fall for the million dollars raised. I mean to say that you have to have a scalable product to raise that kind of money. Cause you know, with handmade products, you are limited. So you have to how many orders you can take as well. Cause at the end of the day, you have to deliver on that promise of providing quality goods. So that is something to take into consideration. We ran the campaign for about 30 days.

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Who has inspired you to become a change-maker?

Yeah, my mom definitely has a big role to play in getting me where I am right now. I also believe our values come from our parents. But you know, whatever it is, your religion or your faith, it is just those inherent values that see right from wrong. That is really what it was that got me to make or start whatever I did.

How can people create an impact on the society they live in?

I want to leave people with if that fits in your head, go for it. You know, it is really a matter of taking that first step. That is really what it was for me.

I waited my entire life. I knew there was a problem in society when I was eight or nine years old. I think that is really when it all started for me. I waited for someone else to come solve the problem. It wasn’t really until I decided to step up and say, okay, that someone that I’m waiting for is me that I took that first step. So if you are thinking about it, you are passionate about it, that is really all that it takes.

Learn more about:

• AKS Fair Trade Sneaker
• Fuse sneakers Crowdfunding Project
• State of the gender gap in Pakistan
• The plight of women cotton pickers in Pakistan
• Child marriages in Pakistan
• Gender gap report (2014) by the World Economic Forum

Fair trade and changing the world starts by looking at how we spend money, from daily purchases to long term pension funds. Today on Be Your Change, we explore impact investing. The term has different meanings for different people, but ideally, we must ensure our investment has a good impact on the world. We get insights on impact investing from Rosa Lee Harden, a leader in the social impact movement and co-founder of Social Capital Markets (SOCAP). SOCAP is a large network of investors and entrepreneurs who want money to flow towards the greater good.

In this interview, we talk to Rosa Lee Harden about the meaning of impact investing, and how we can join this movement even though we don’t have a large amount of money to invest.

• The story behind SOCAP
• What is Impact Investing?
• 3 Tips to become a more conscious investor and consumer

How did you decide to create the SOCAP conference?

More and more people want to invest their money in alignment with the greater good. About 10 years ago, my husband and I began a social entrepreneur investing firm. It started attracting people who wanted to talk about the space of impact investing. So they decided to do this at a conference – SOCAP. Across 10 years, it has grown from what we had hoped would be 200/300 people to now 3,000 people.

We have to start investing in a way that protects the planet, that protects its people. And I'm really hopeful that this movement is going to have a lot to do with that. The challenge to us is getting the word out to mainstream that there is this different way of investing, that is impact investing.

What is impact investing?

Impact investing is when you take your investment portfolio and instead of just thinking about how much money you're going to make with your investment, you consider more important things. Think about what your money's doing, and how it is behaving out in the world. You should also consider the values that the investment company holds compared to yours. You may discover that you are investing in an ammunition plant or in a company that makes products with slave laborers or things that you ideally would really object to.

Ideally, you should employ investment strategies that ensure your investment will go towards things that you approve of first. And beyond that, your investment must have an impact in that it will change the world for good. This concept was developed about 10 to 15 years ago but it is rapidly influencing people’s investment decisions. People are understanding that their money can make a difference. That is the whole essence of impact investing.

When did impact investing become popular?

Impact investing started becoming popular in the 1960s, during the Vietnam War. Students demanded that universities do not invest their endowment funds into defense contractors. Some say the idea of socially responsible investing goes back 200 years when John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, told his followers to not profit at their neighbors’ expense. Yet another explanation says the idea goes back even further, to biblical times!

How are people embracing the concept of impact investing?

Currently, we are in this great space where the people who are true believers and understand impact investing and social enterprise are getting to know that SOCAP exists and attend it in droves. But then it is such an esoteric field. The biggest challenge is getting the word out to the mainstream, about this different way of investing and getting them to come to SOCAP to learn how to do it.

What is the biggest setback for impact investing?

Impact investing is not mainstream yet, but it’s moving in that direction. I think it’s because inequalities are skyrocketing. A new report by Oxfam shows the inequality gap has widened so much that the ‘world’s richest 1% gets 82% of the wealth’. People want change. One recent survey shows 79% of millennials want to invest in a way that has both a social and financial impact. Mainstream investment managers are taking note. Merrill Lynch now offers impact investment products and advice. Goldman Sachs recently bought an impact investment firm. We appreciate all this growth, but the challenge remains to have rapid growth while maintaining purity in the philosophies behind impact investing.

What is your desired outcome of all your efforts?

We hope that we don't lose the battle to ‘greenwashing’, where people say they're doing a good thing just to sell their product when it’s really not that sustainable or that environmentally friendly. And so what we're hoping to do is to build this momentum with integrity rather than people again just trying to make money off of it. To inspire more people to do impact investing.

People are making money. One study shows 15 billion US dollars were poured into impact investments in 2015. Venture capitalist, Sir Ronald Cohen predicts the “tipping point” for the movement will happen in 2020, when global impact assets are expected to reach $300 billion.

Is the “tipping point” a reality, according to you?

My personal thinking is that if we don’t reach a tipping point pretty soon and turn this around, we're going to lose the battle, and we're going to lose this earth. We have to start investing in a way that protects the planet that protects its people. I'm really hopeful that this movement is going to have a lot to do with that and moving people's awareness, moving the needle, making that tipping point arrive where it's just unheard of to invest in something that you don't understand. You would say I want to be careful with how I invest because I care about the world. Impact investing is definitely the way to go.

One way we invest is by putting our money in banks. But over three dozens banks, including Wells Fargo, Bank of America and CitiBank support and finance the Dakota Access pipeline. Climate activists – and the EPA – say the pipeline will increase greenhouse gases, endanger wildlife, and affect local American Indian tribes’ source of water. In 2017, Seattle became the first city to break ties with Wells Fargo in protest.

What needs to happen right now?

I don't know what specifics I would name but my role in it is to continue with this conference and other smaller events to continue to educate people. I also intend to get more people aware that you don't just hand your retirement funds to some relative stranger and say just make me some money. That you can instead take that money and invest it in a credit union that supports your community. Or that you can alternatively work with someone who would give your returns in impact not just in dollars. I want to educate people so that they know that they can practice impact investing.

3 tips to become a conscious investor and consumer

1.It Is Not Only About Investment

What advice do you have for anyone who might not consider themselves investors because they can’t afford $50,000 dollars to invest?

Well, it’s not just about the size of the investment. It could be the $100 that you put in a credit union. You should investigate your bank. Do you appreciate its values? If you don’t, then look for a credit union or a smaller local bank that supports your local community. Figure out what your values are and find a banking institution that supports them. Don’t worry if sometimes you never have any money to invest, instead, you should find solace in knowing that at least you allowed your money to be co-mingled with the money of other like-minded people. Impact investing!

2. Be Mindful on How You Spend Your Money

More than just what you do with investments what do you do with your money in general matters even more. Maybe you start looking more carefully at food labels about is it organically grown? Is it locally grown? Is it grown in a way that is good for the planet? Or you look at some of your clothing options and make sure that at least a few things that you buy that you know that it came from a factory that didn't use slave labor in any way. I think the key is to build products that don’t have a negative impact on the environment.

Find something in your life is OK in this area of my life, this is where I'm going to work to do a better job of being a conscious consumer.

As Beyourchange, we appreciate your obvious dedication to making a difference in the world. We see you are in the trench every day working at creating a better world for the future generation – towards impact investing. What are the most exciting trends you are witnessing in your community that give you hope for the future?

I am very hopeful we will not be able to turn the other way and say, “Well you know I just you know I live my life”. You can't live your life in a society that is so blatantly disrespectful of humanity. And one of the tenets I try to live my life by is to respect the dignity of every human being. And I'm hopeful that will become a mantra in this country that we respect the dignity of every human being.

3.Educate Yourself

Remember, the best thing that we can do as consumers is to educate ourselves about where our money is spent. Know about your bank, know their values. Think twice when you buy a product. Are you perpetuating a bad system? Or are you supporting companies with a social impact mission? And, if you are thinking of investing, ensure you understand what is being done with your money and the impact your investment has on the world. How we spend money is a form of activism and can be a direct route to a more equal society.

To Learn More

• Read about the history of impact investing
• Socap: socap capital market
• Listen to the interview with Kate Byrne, president of Intentional Group, the media group of which Socap is part of.
• Read the interview of our founder, Juliette Roy, on Socap Capital Market website
• Discover Angels of Impact, an impact investing fund focusing on women

Fair Trade comes so much from a place of joy. It's really some kind of practical optimists, and it's very solutions-oriented. It’s like, there is this horrible problem of mass consumption, of worker exploitation and environmental degradation but Fair Trade is such a concrete solution to all of that… So, Getting people interested in fair trade together so much comes out of it. I mean look at this conference here, there’s 400 and some people, it’s loud!” Katherine Bissell Cordova

Katherine Bissell Cordova, the Executive Director of Chicago Fair Trade, the largest fair trade coalition in the United States. I met with her at the fair Trade national campaigns conference at the invitation of my guest today: Elisha Chan.

Fair Trade certified definition: What does it mean for a company to be Fair Trade?

In a nutshell, Fair Trade empowers the consumer to challenge corporations and redistribute wealth to people in need. The first experiment of fair trade on a large scale started in the 1920s in California, thanks to Edna Gleason, a pharmacist nowadays known as “the Mother of Fair Trade”. And it’s no wonder so many women take part in the fair trade movement Let’s hear from one of this woman Elisha Chan.

How did it all start?

It all started about 10 years ago now when I took my first trip to Haiti. I was already working with an orphanage there where we were sending kids to school. I just felt like I needed to do more to have a more long-term solution. How can we help Haitians not to need us anymore? How can they be self-sustaining? So it was after my seventh trip to Haiti and the earthquake that hit them and all the aftermath.

That's when I realized job creation was the key to ending their poverty. So that's how I started my business.

Why do we need more fair trade certified businesses?

In January 2018, Oxfam reported that 42 billionaires possess 50% of the world’s wealth. Some are taking action to help alleviate income inequality. Fair Trade is one example of how to make a difference. I asked Elisha if she was aware of the Fair Trade movement before she started working with artisans.

Actually, no, I didn't realize I was doing fair trade until I got involved with fair trade LA. I believe in creating fair jobs. Ending people’s exploitation is critical to give them a chance at life.

Fair Trade LA

When I found Fair Trade LA which is a non-profit based in Los Angeles. I got connected to all these community members that were basically doing what I'm doing and so passionate about it. So there are people working with artisans in Bali and Rwanda and all across the developing world. We all have the same passion to help create sustainable solutions to end poverty. I became really passionate about fair trade. I realize that is a real solution to a lot of our global issues.

Over time, the Fair Trade community has grown to 3,000 Grassroots organizations in over 70 countries. It represents over a million small-scale producers and workers.

Fair Trade: a global movement

Yeah. So fair trade is a global movement. There is an organization called fair trade campaigns which is to encourage local cities to become fair trade towns.
So what that means is we need a hundred businesses to sell two fair trade items and a hundred Los Angeles organizations. It can be offices, schools, churches, to serve just one fair trade item and once we identify these we pass a bill at the city council and we can be declared a fair trade town.

Fair Trade LA is a membership non-profit with members just like you and me, individuals who are passionate about fair trade and also social entrepreneurs, social enterprises that are doing fair trade in the global market. We host monthly meetings. We have a great network of people and just a great supportive community for anyone who wants to advocate for fair trade.

Fair Talks

I had the idea of Fair Talks which is a play off of TED talks but specifically for Fair Trade. I wanted to bring in speakers that started their own business or working with artisans in the global market and I want them to come and share their story and raise awareness for fair trade in that way. So we've had people come share about Fair Trade coffee Farms from Guatemala. We've had people talk about sugarcane Farmers from the Dominican Republic. We even had a speaker come all the way from New York to share about fair trade fashion, which is definitely a movement that's growing right now.

How do we know a product is fair trade certified?

So some of you might be familiar with some fair trade logos that you see on coffee chocolate, even soaps. There's fair trade USA, Fair Trade America, Fair for life, and Fair Trade Federation. These certifiers actually go to your farm, your factory or your workshop to certify that things are fair trade.

There are 10 guiding fair trade principles. The certifiers want to make sure that your company meets these principles and then they certify you and so then all your products will have a fair trade logo on it and be guaranteed that this product is not exploited people that when you're enjoying this coffee or when you're enjoying this chocolate, you know that there's no child labor and people are paid fairly for it.

The 10 fair trade certified guiding principles

Some examples are:

• artisans and producers are paid fairly.
• artisans and producers work in a safe and healthy environment.
• There's no child labor.

How to become a fair trade advocate?

A lot of people think the only way to have an impact on social justice is either making big donations, to travel somewhere to serve locally and or teach English somewhere. They think they have to build a school, build a home somewhere.

You can actually bring about social justice, by the way, you spend your money. And that is what fair trade is about. You get to vote for your future, you get to vote for the way you want your world to be by the way you spend your money. It's as simple as buying Fair Trade coffee, it's as simple as buying something that has fair trade ingredients.

People don't realize that there are so much human trafficking and labor exploitation, child labor even in the chocolate industry. We need to fight that.

Fair trade is not just to end poverty is to end human trafficking.

And so many issues are related to poverty. We have to tackle the root of the problem and its poverty. If we create a living wage for people in poverty, I feel like we could tackle so many solutions. So I encourage people to fight social justice by what you buy every day with your purchasing power.

Fair Trade LA and Collaboration with other fair trade certified partners.

Fair Trade LA is kind of like an umbrella for a lot of our nearby towns. Los Angeles is a bigger city. It makes it a little bit harder for our work because we're so big and so spread out. We are so proud to say that Fairtrade Pasadena; Fair Trade Claremont; Fair Trade Long Beach has all been births through us. The City of Pasadena and Claremont are already a fair trade town. Long Beach is making huge momentum Leaps and Bounds to become a fair trade town very soon.

Making Los Angeles, the largest fair trade city in North America.

We want to make LA fair trade. And once we identify these businesses and organizations, we need to pass a resolution to officially have LA be not just green, not just sustainable, but also a fair trade city.

Note from the author: Since we interviewed Elisha Chan, Los Angeles has officially become the largest Fair Trade city in North America.

Next Step: The Olympic Games!

I was actually really excited to learn that the Olympics that happened in London was fair trade. And what that meant is the Olympic town was serving Fair Trade coffee and tea. It really inspires me for the upcoming Olympics in Los Angeles. We have been fighting to get the Olympics in Los Angeles. We talk about LA being a green city, a sustainable city. Now we can say we are also fighting Justice through fair trade. We need to get the Olympic towns to just serve Fair Trade coffee, Fair Trade Tea or Fair Trade sugar like that's going to make a huge difference.

Fair Trade: a movement carried by women.

So Elisha, what I noticed reading about the fair trade movement reading to get ready for this episode of Be your change podcast is that this movement seems to be carried by women. Would you agree?

Yes, if you look at our crowd and if you see, you know people who are coming, it's definitely women, but we are also really proud of the man that step in. And I think maybe that has to do with even the time that we live in, where we really encourage women entrepreneurs. We call them girl boss, you know, just really empowering women and I think that women will just be based on their compassion and just wanting to make a difference.

Now, I feel like through fair trade and through this time that we live in really gets a chance, really gets a platform to do something that they're passionate about. And yeah, I hear a lot of women come back from trips to foreign countries and want to come back and do something about it.

Did you know that women are in charge of 85% of the household budget? If we start thinking about our impact when we shop, we can have a positive outcome on people’s life. Just like that.

After interviewing Elisha Chan for Be Your Change podcast, we won’t be looking at the coffee or chocolate aisle in my local supermarket the same way ever again!

This is what I learned, listening to Elisha: it doesn’t take much to help change the world, especially if billions of us move in the same direction.

Click here Learn more about Fair Trade

Why should you buy women fair trade products?

Based on research published in Forbes, women reinvest up to 90% of their income back into their families and communities.

70% of individuals living in poverty are women.

Buying fair trade products has an important impact on lifting women out of poverty.

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We have selected 18 fair trade products and companies we love. Happy shopping!

1. Elisha C: Sending Haitians Kids To Schools
2. Neococo: Creating job opportunities for women refugees in Los Angeles.
3. Serrv: fair trade certified – securing fair wages and safe working conditions for artisans and farmers.
4. The Little Market: Build a brighter future for artisans
5. Dressember: A world without slavery=ending human trafficking
6. Terra Thread: A fair trade line of premium bags providing work in India
7. Gallant International: Organic Cotton And Fair Trade Products
8. Kate Spade: On Purpose, working with women in Rwanda
9. SoulSpace USA: Organic Yoga Pants On Steroid
10. Vava Coffee: a fair trade coffee social enterprise supporting women in Kenya
11. Indego Africa: support the integrity of artisan-made goods and create opportunities for women who make them
12. RefuShe: a Community for Refugee Girls, by Refugee Girls in East Africa
13. Islenas provide opportunities to women in Porto Rico
14. AKS Sneakers: a positive impact on women in Pakistan
15. The Tote Project Ending Human Trafficking
16. Carry the Future provide aid to refugee families in Greece, Jordan and more
17. Made with a Purpose provides stable jobs to women in India
18. Tonlé Provides Jobs To Women In Cambodia with an ethical fashion line

Breaking the poverty cycle with women Fair Trade led companies.

1. Elisha C: Haiti in the hands of Haitian

Every purchase on Elishac.com provides artisans with job security and helps to end poverty in Haiti. Additionally, you can make a donation to Elishac.org, the non-profit leg of Elisha C. The foundation sends underprivileged children to school and college. Learn more about Elisha C inspiring story and listen to Be Your Change podcast episode 7 here where we talk to the founder Elisha Chan.

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2. Neococo: Creating job opportunities for women refugees.

You will definitely adore the selection of sweatshirts this online shop has to offer. They’re perfect for your Instagram pictures (hashtag #SweaterWeather). Aside from its fashionable look, NeoCoco is a mission-driven apparel company that creates jobs for women refugees and displaced women. Buying their featured products helps them regain their identity and restart their lives.

3. Serrv: fair trade certified – securing fair wages and safe working conditions for artisans and farmers.

70 years ago, this nonprofit has made it a priority to ensure that artisans and farmers living in poverty are treated with respect and dignity, and paid fairly for their work. Their handmade products are environmentally-friendly and designed to support optical care to thousands of artisans around the world who are suffering from vision loss. 

4. The Little Market: Build a brighter future for artisans

Their collection of fair trade goods is made by artisans in need, including refugees, people with disabilities, women transitioning out of homelessness, and survivors of trafficking and domestic violence.

5. Dressember: A world without slavery

Dressember has a unique mission to help end human trafficking. For example, wear a dress or a tie, every day for a month in December and become an active participant in this wonderful campaign.

6. GALLANT INTERNATIONAL INC“>Terra Thread: A fair trade line of premium bags

The Terra Thread Earth Motivated Collection is a line of premium bags made using family grown Organic Cotton and fair labor practices. Every aspect of Terra Thread was created with the earth and its people at the forefront.

7. In Need of fair trade products for your company? Gallant International: Organic Cotton And Fair Trade Products organically grow and ethically Made.

If you are looking for fair trade organic products to resell don’t search further. Gallant International is a premier Fair Trade certified supplier of 100% organic cotton promotional and retail products. Their extensive range of products includes shopping bags, yoga bags, cosmetic pouches, backpacks, kitchen linens, t-shirts and much more! We love Gallant and appreciate its focus on organic and pesticide-free products.

8. Kate Spade: On Purpose

on purpose is Kate Spade’s social enterprise initiative. Their mission is to use our on purpose supply chain to empower women and girls to be the heroines of their own stories.

we believe that all women are the heroines of their own
stories, and that empowered women can transform the world.

9. SoulSpace USA

In need of cozy fair trade yoga gears and pants, Soul Space USA is like a dream comes true. All their products are made of organic cotton and chemical-free sustainable fabrics.

10. Vava Coffee – a fair trade coffee social enterprise supporting women to acquire land

In 2009 Vava Angwenyi made the singular decision to create real change in the Kenyan Coffee industry. Between the challenges of poverty, corruption and fear, she saw smiles. As a result, she saw smallholder coffee farmers that wanted to change their lives but could not get their voices heard. Listen to our interview with Vava here

11. Indego Africa: support the integrity of artisan-made goods and create opportunities for women who make them

Indego Africa focuses on providing local and raw materials that are of high quality and durable. Everything is carefully handcrafted. The artisans use natural resources such as sweetgrass, palm leaf, bolga straw, and banana leaf.

12. RefuShe, a Community for Refugee Girls, by Refugee Girls in East Africa

RefuShe helps young refugee women to heal, grow and become the best version of themselves.

Women are the hope of society – they are tough and unbreakable.

Women are vulnerable at times but once each storm passes, they come out stronger and more mature.

13. Islenas provide opportunities to women with diverse background in Porto Rico

Islenas’stylish espadrilles are made and crafted in Puerto Rico with love. The shop partners with sustainability platform Retazo and non-profit Centro Sor Isolina Ferre to design and implement a training and manufacturing program to provide opportunities to women.

14. AKS Sneakers, a positive impact at every level of production

AKS Sneakers helps women living in Pakistan with a great line of fair trade, vegan and organic cotton sneakers AKS Sneakers produce limited editions of sustainable comfortable sneakers that are affordable and fashionable. Every piece is made with love. Designed in San Francisco, the materials are organic and natural. It helps their artisan not to get armed by chemicals and help their health and the environment.

15. The Tote Project Ending Human Trafficking

The Tote Project’s mission is to help end human slavery. Every time you buy a tote, you help empower six survivors of sex trafficking to pursue their dream job. Spread love and positivity and consider checking out their beautifully crafted bags. Together, let’s help raise awareness about human trafficking.

16. Carry the Future provide critical aid to refugee families in Greece, Jordan, Tanzania, Bangladesh, the US and Mexico

Children should always be a priority and be cared for. Carry the Future partner with trusted organizations to fund projects to improve the children's and families’ quality of life. They provide critical aid including clean diapers, baby beds, newborn supplies, hygiene kits, and more.

17. Made with a Purpose provides stable jobs to women in India

Created by Reshma Thakkar, each purchase on Made With A Purpose helps women from India to unlock their full potential with a stable job. When you empower a woman, you empower a community and help her to educate girls and eliminate child marriage…This Texas-based company opens women’s eyes to a broader world view and explore opportunities they may have never known possible.

India’s women are her greatest asset.

18. Tonlé: it only takes a woman

Tonle’s founder Rachel moved to Cambodia in 2008 with funding from a Fulbright grant to research sustainable and fair trade textiles. After working with several artisans groups to learn about best practices and opportunities, she quickly realized there was a gap in market for affordable, sustainable and ethical fashion. Then Tonlé was born! Tonlé is a circular ethical brand upcycling fabrics and highly conscious of the impact on the environment.

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Let’s support one another. Become an advocate online or in real-time and make a positive impact on our world.   

Fair Trade USA has been working for years to help get people out of poverty worldwide and a large number of this population is women. 70% of people living in poverty are women and women and girls count for 71% of human trafficking. On the positive side, women reinvest up to 90 percent of income in their families and communities compared to 40 percent for men (Forbes). So, if we start buying fair trade and consciously made products made by women, we can actually accelerate the path to a better future for women worldwide!

Fair Trade is a model with the goal to alleviate global poverty. Fair Trade certifiers work hard to create fair trade guidelines that promote equal/fair pay, good working conditions, and workers’ rights. Many companies across all markets are investing in fair trade certification and are positively impacting in developing communities. From building sustainable businesses to providing education, the fair trade movement is helping to make solid and secure changes for those living in poor communities around the world.

Studies have shown that women influence 83% of all consumer spending in the U.S. (Source inclusionary leadership group).

So when women buy products that are women made, they have an impact on the world’s community of women.

In this episode of Be Your Change podcast, Karrie Puksas Brand Activist at Kroger and Abby Ayers from Fair Trade USA talk about their partnership and how Kroger is committed to giving their customers fair trade options at a reasonable price. Listen to learn more about how these companies are teaming up to make Fair Trade products more accessible to the average consumer.

Listen to the episode here

What You’ll Learn

Have you ever wanted to understand consumer shopping habits and how grocery stores are able to analyze the data to provide products that their customers want? Karrie will give us a brief history of Kroger and why their brand, and fair trade, should be important to you. We will also learn from Abby about Fair Trade USA guidelines and how those guidelines have affected the local communities and people they are working with.

The Best Quotes Of The Show

So I’d like to think of myself a bit of a brand activist because I really try to push my colleagues and business partners to invest more in community engagement and sustainability efforts. We listened to customers and we know that our customers rely on us as retailers to be the curators of sustainable products that we need to offer products that they want and they are demanding more transparency and they want to see an authentic commitment to ethical action. -Karrie

I think that community development premium, it does two things. So it obviously gives them additional funds to invest in programs but what that really does is creates this model empowerment of pride that they have a resource that they can identify their needs, and they can then solve those needs. -Abby

We want consumers to be empowered to vote with their dollars to support brands and companies like Kroger who will make these investments into the supply chain and who offers these products. -Karrie

Go Deeper

Learn more about becoming a fair trade advocate and how you can vote with your wallet.

• Simple truth 
• Fair Trade USA

Books

• Global Girlfriends: How One Mom Made It Her Business to Help Women in Poverty Worldwide
• Sustainable Impact: How Women Are Key To Ending Poverty
• Buy The Change You Want To See: Jane Mosbacher and Wendy Paris The money we routinely spend on food, clothes, gifts, and even indulgences is an untapped superpower. What would happen if we slowed down to make more thoughtful decisions about what we buy?
• Fair Trade Campaigns National Conference: 

Keep in Touch

• Follow us on Facebook page here and Instagram
• Join our Facebook group here
• Subscribe to our newsletter here

In this new season of ‘Be Your Change podcast, we are looking at what is fair trade and what role do we play to accelerate the transformation of our society to a better world. We are talking to many women who are impacting the world with the creation of sustainable and good jobs. From our new hometown in Los Angeles. we are excited to be now based in Los Angeles because of the bourgeoning social change community with an increasing number of female change-makers leading the way.

What You’ll Learn

We are looking at the impact of our purchase on people’s life. Did you know that 85% of the household budget is spent by women? It tells you how much power we hold ladies to change the world.

The Impact of Women On Building A Sustainable and Equitable World

In this episode, we are talking to Elisha Chan, the executive director of Fair Trade a Los Angeles, a non-profit that helps to spread the word about the impact of buying fair trade products. Companies and non-profits who are certified Fair Trade have to follow strict guidelines like no child labor. Many of our day to day products like coffee and chocolate use child labor.

More than 700 million people—half of them children—live on less than $1.90 a day.

What is Fair Trade?

In this fascinating interview, you’ll learn about Elisha’s journey to becoming an advocate to end poverty through job creation and how fair trade crossed her path. For a girl who came from China to the United States at the age of 8 years-old because her mom decided she would have a better education overseas, her dedication inspires many of her peers. This year, Elisha has big goals..to achieve

Make Los Angeles The Biggest Fair Trade City In The U.S

Chicago is currently the largest fair trade city in the United States, but the fair trade community wants to change that and make Los Angeles the largest fair trade city in the United States.

Elisha C Foundation

Elisha started going to Haiti, as a student for UCLA in 2009. Over the last 10 years, she has been more than 30 times, to Haiti. In 2011, she decided to create Elisha C foundation to support Haitians because she found her call to alleviate poverty and bring economic stability to nations in need.

• 80% of the population live under the poverty line (<$2/Day)
• 50% of the kids do not attend school
• 40.6% of the population is unemployed

“I really see that with what I’m doing is raising up these Haitian people to ultimately, you know change the future of Haiti”

Over the years, Elisha C foundation has contributed to sending more than 75 kids to school.

• Elishac.com was born to create jobs to end poverty in Haiti.

The Best Quotes From The Show

“You can actually bring out social justice by the way, you spend your money and that is what fair trade is about”

Elisha Chan

Interested in joining the Fair Trade movement, find a fair trade organization near you and get involved. Fair trade community is welcoming and fun. 

• Fair Trade USA
• Elisha C Store

Interested in Supporting Fair Trade Companies? here is our selection of companies created by women.

• Elishac.com: Beautiful products made in Haiti and now Syria
• Thousand Villages: It all started with Edna Ruth Byler who was selling textiles from the trunk of her car. “I’m just a woman trying to help other women”
• Serrv: Serrv International is a nonprofit dedicated to fighting global poverty through fair and ethical trade.
• Tonlé: At tonlé, we see fashion differently – from the way it’s made to the way it’s worn.
• Kishe Coffee: Woman-Grown Medium Roast Coffee from Guatemala.
• Global Girlfriend:
• The Tote Project: Fay Grant and Michelle Chavez founded The Tote Project because they believe that there is hope for the millions of victims of modern-day slavery worldwide, and they want to do their part to support recovering survivors pursuing their dreams.
• Plus Fair Trade Products Supporting Women

What is Fair Trade? Go Deeper

Learn more about becoming a fair trade advocate and happy consumer and vote with your wallet.

• Watch Documentaries
  •  Invisible Hands
• Read Books
  • Global Girlfriends: How One Mom Made It Her Business to Help Women in Poverty Worldwide
  • Sustainable Impact: How Women Are Key To Ending Poverty
  • Buy The Change You Want To See: Jane Mosbacher and Wendy Paris The money we routinely spend on food, clothes, gifts, and even indulgences is an untapped superpower. What would happen if we slowed down to make more thoughtful decisions about what we buy?
• Speak Up
  • Ask your local coffee store or supermarket if they carry fair trade products.
  • Pay attention to Fair Trade logo on products you buy e.g coffee, sugar, tea, chocolate

Join Our Community

• Follow our Facebook page here
• Join our Facebook group here
• Subscribe to our newsletter here

Your Action Today – Educate Others

Share this podcast episode so everyone can learn about the importance of buying Fair Trade Products.