Happy Halloween! On a day filled with candies and sweets, it would be fitting to enjoy one of our delicious dessert teas. Instead of a handful of chocolates, why not drink a cup of Chocolate Monkey? It would be a sweet treat, and healthier too! And to make that cup of Chocolate Monkey even sweeter, it should be noted that it contains Fair Trade certified ingredients. You may be thinking, So what? What does Fair Trade even mean? A lot of Art of Tea’s products are Fair Trade certified, and so here are some facts about Fair Trade Tea and why it is so important to us.

Well, first off, this month is Fair Trade month.  The main focus of Fair Trade is to help farming families and communities from Africa, Asia, and Latin America improve their lives. According Transfair USA, some Fair Trade principles are:

Fair price

Fair labor conditions

Direct trade

Democratic transparent organizations

Community development

Environmental sustainability

Too often we hear of disadvantaged laborers in other countries, and Fair Trade helps battle those conditions. Fair Trade holds special conditions and standards to ensure that sustainable farming methods are used, a minimum floor price for products are paid and guaranteed, and that fair labor conditions exist. It may seem that to ensure such standards, Fair Trade products would be more expensive, but in actuality, Fair Trade products are priced as competitively with products that are not Fair Trade certified.

As mentioned before, Fair Trade is committed to community development as well, and this means building schools and community centers to pull these communities out of poverty and to better the quality of life in these communities. In addition to helping people, Fair Trade exists to help improve the environment. Fair Trade standards ensure that there is proper waste disposal and proper water and soil conservation, among other environmental benefits. With these goals, it’s no wonder why we at Art of Tea wanted to be involved with Fair Trade. Art of Tea also strives to ensure that workers are treated with respect, that communities are improved, and that we are as environmentally sustainable as possible.

Some of our teas that contain Fair Trade certified ingredients are Kauai Cocktail, 1896, Egyptian Chamomile, Chocolate Monkey, and more. We are proud to support Fair Trade and believe that our contribution truly does help make the world a better place. For more information on Fair Trade and what it is all about, visit transfairusa.org. Drink a sweeter cup of tea, knowing that you helped make a difference.