Paul Rice spent more than a decade working with coffee farmers in Nicaragua. He saw that foreign aid was creating dependency and that what farmers really need are tools to solve their own problems.
In 1998, Paul created Fair Trade USA – they audit and certify U.S. companies to make sure their global suppliers pay farmers fair wages, give them safe spaces to work and offer support to local communities.
On the back end, Fair Trade USA offers farmer training to make sure their products are high quality and empower farmers to improve their own lives through negotiation and direct sales.
Today, they’re top dog in 3rd-party fair trade certifications, working with everyone from small coffee companies to corporations like Target.
For Paul, empowering people and their communities through trade is what really matters. Because good business should be good for all of us.
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