Equal Exchange was founded over 20 years ago as a worker owned co-operative, and is now one of the largest in the country. It sells fairly traded and organic coffee, tea, chocolate and snacks from farmers all over the world, including here in the US.

The Fair Trade Certification system requires that participating farmer organizations meet demanding, but laudable, criteria: they must work for the good of all in their community; they must seek to minimize their impact upon the environment; they must make information freely available; and most importantly, they must function in a democratic manner, with the leaders elected by, and accountable to, the cooperative's farmer members. Equal Exchange believes that we should all expect no less from ourselves and each other than we demand of our farming partners.

Equal Exchange’s thoughtful business structure and plan have reaped amazing financial results, which are evident in the graph above.

Check out Equal Exchange at www.equalexchange.coop.