Why is it Important to Support Fair Trade?
Do you believe in supporting workers’ rights? How about efforts toward fair and equitable pay and safe working conditions? Sustainable community development? Environmentally responsible growing practices? If you align with any of these ideas, walk the talk on your grocery trips. It may not seem like it, but the bananas, chocolate, and coffee you choose to buy matter on a global scale. October is Fair Trade month, and this small mark indicates big global impact. You have the power to direct your dollar toward positive change by choosing products that are Fair Trade certified.
CPW is the sole distributor of Equal Exchange bananas in the Midwest. Learn about our state of the art ripening rooms.
The definition of Fair Trade is “a global movement made up of a diverse network of producers, companies, consumers, advocates and organizations putting people and planet first.” (www.fairtradecertified.org/why-fair-trade)
Like other certifications such as Organic, earning the Fair Trade certification requires true investment and commitment to ethical sourcing, safer working conditions, and fair pay leading to improved wellbeing for workers, and ongoing efforts toward environmental sustainability. In the 25+ years it has existed, the Fair Trade Certified collective has contributed over $1 billion directly to grower communities.
Growers demonstrate the banana growth cycle at Rio y Valle Cooperative in in Piura, Peru.
Read about our trip to Rio y Valle Co-op in Peru with Equal Exchange in 2025.
Tea leaf pickers with UNTE in South India. Photo courtesy of Fairtrade America.
Wedge Community Co-ops and Co-op Partners Warehouse (CPW) are proud to work with many Fair Trade Certified partners. Equal Exchange is consistently our highest volume sourcing partner for bananas and avocados. In 2025 alone, CPW customers purchased 3,110,400 Fair Trade organic bananas, and 479,940 Fair Trade organic avocados, totaling $1,011,820 directly paid to growers in Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico.
Equal Exchange’s banana program goes above and beyond any organic importers in our country by way of Fair Trade status and cooperative development. In 2025, over $60,000 in social premiums went to biodynamic, organic soil inputs, a circular plastic recycling program, and leadership training in the co-op structure.
Covilli, another foundational Fair Trade partner, is based in the Empalme Valley on the southwest coast of Sonora, Mexico. Covilli was one of the first growing operations in the Empalme Valley, and deliberately built a socially & environmentally responsible business. CPW sources tomatoes, summer squash, green beans, peppers, brussels sprouts and more from Covilli, which are in turn purchased by Wedge Co-ops, and many other grocery co-ops throughout the Upper Midwest. Today, Covilli is the only 100% organic and 100% fair-trade fresh produce operation in North America.
Patients receiving care at the Nuchi Sansekan Health Clinic. Photos courtesy of Covilli Brand Organics, Inc.
One example of the impact to public health is the Nuchi Sansekan Health Clinic in Triunfo de Santa Rosa, Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico. Opened in 2018 with a mission to deliver high-quality, culturally competent health care services to farm workers, their families, and the surrounding communities. The clinic offers compassionate, comprehensive general and preventative care for thousands of adults and children with state of the art equipment, and was completely funded by Fair Trade Premium dollars.
Arizona-based Fair Trade certified Wholesum Family Farms is a partner we source flavorful, colorful snacking tomatoes from year round. Since establishing certification in 2013, Wholesum has earned over $12,000,000 for community development projects. In 2025 alone, over $830,000 went toward health care efforts, meals for school children, technology access, and more- all thanks to Fair Trade premiums.
Fair Trade is a system rooted in mutual respect, partnership, and building communities that thrive. It is a conscious, everyday choice for a better world. We’re all a part of the value chain of the global food system, and we all need to eat. Consumption is a part of life, so choose to uplift the people growing, harvesting, and caring for your food- choose Fair Trade.