Spotlight | Every Purchase Matters

Since 1998, consumers purchasing Fair Trade Certified products, including tea, have directed $1.2 billion in increased income to more than one million farmers, workers, and their families. Fair Trade USA certifies 1,700 major brands and retailers, ranging from Albertsons and Costco to Kroger, Target, Whole Foods, and Walmart. In his new book, *Every Purchase Matters*, Fair Trade USA founder Paul Rice writes, “Social change takes time. I believe it’s all about creative problem-solving and reengineering business models to deliver sustainability, profitability, and impact.” Paul joins Tea Biz Host Dan Bolton to discuss the intrinsic value of fair trade and the critical role of consumer purchasing power in driving positive changes in the tea industry.

BIO: Paul Rice is a visionary social entrepreneur who founded Fair Trade USA in 1998, now North America's leading certifier of Fair Trade products. He spent 11 years working in the coffee lands, establishing Nicaragua’s first Fair Trade coffee export cooperative, owned by 2,500 families. He graduated from Yale University with a degree in economics and political science and holds a master's in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley. During the past 40 years, he has been awarded many honors as an ethical business leader and for his work as a social engineer.

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