Fair Trade USA Review and Giveaway

Fair Trade USA Review and Giveaway

We have a winner! Shannon! “I love Equal Exchange coffees. They have a roast called Love Buzz that’s outta this world!” An email is on the way.

October is Fair Trade Month and the good folks at Fair Trade USA sent out a sample bag for us to review at MoFo headquarters. I received a box chock full o’ fair trade goods that include teas, coffee and ice cream. I’ll take you through an unpacking of the box so you can see all the goods.

Fair Trade USA is the leading independent, third party verifier of fair trade products in the US. From their mission statement: “We seek to empower family farmers and workers around the world, while enriching the lives of those struggling in poverty. Rather than creating dependency on aid, we use a market-based approach that empowers farmers to get a fair price for their harvest, helps workers create safe working conditions, provides a decent living wage and guarantees the right to organize. Through direct, equitable trade, farming and working families are able to eat better, keep their kids in school, improve health and housing, and invest in the future.”

Their website has an excellent list of products and partnerships they have and you can read more about who benefits when you buy fair trade products.

Now, on to the fair trade goods! Everything is nicely packed into a reusable tote within the shipping box

If you know me, you know I’m a tea fiend. On the top of the package was a sampler box from Numi Tea with 8 different types of tea. I went right for the breakfast blend since I’m a fan of hearty black teas. I also tried the Rooibos Chai and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the spice in it. Numi uses biodegradable filter papers which makes me feel better about using an already bagged tea and they have a wide range of teas to choose from.

Also at the top was a box of Stash Guayusa which is an Amazonian tree leaf. I already enjoy Stash teas so I was excited to be able to try something new.  It reminds me a bit of mate and is described as having an earthy undertone. Not technically a tea but something that is a nice change of pace.

Coconut Bliss had included a Walnut Brownie pint in the box that has a coupon inside for a free pint along with a Coconut Bliss sticker and pamphlet telling their business story. I am a fan of Coconut Bliss, especially the new flavours they debuted last year, and suspect this coupon will go toward a pint of their ginger cookie caramel. Some of the best vegan ice cream, hands down.

Also included in a Hae Now organic cotton t-shirt with the Fair Trade Certified logo. Super soft and comfortable.

Madhava agave nectar had a bottle of their raw organic agave nectar toward the bottom of the box. I’m a straight up tea drinker, no sugar or milk, so most of my agave consumption goes into my baked goods.  My super special agave spice cookies obviously feature agave as a main ingredient and the Madhava worked perfectly in the baking.

Nestled further down was a bag of Just Love coffee Peruvian blend. I am not a coffee drinker and have no apparatus for making it so I passed this along to a friend for review who said he quite enjoyed it.

Rishi Tea sent a tin of their pu-erh ginger tea which I have already put into my cabinet to use this winter. I love a good ginger tea when it’s cold outside and I may have a hint of a sore throat. This one has a nice flavour without being too strong.

Everything was packed into a Fair Trade USA tote bag (also produced to fair trade standards) which has been great for carrying boxes to the post and stuffing with groceries and big bunches of kale from my local farmers market. I love that this is much sturdier than some you find at grocery stores and is cotton instead of a plastic.

We are super pleased that Fair Trade USA has offered a delightful sample box to one of our Vegan MoFo readers and will ship to either the United States or Canada. All the products in the sample bags were kindly donated by the companies to help Fair Trade USA spread the word this month about the importance and range of fair trade products.

To enter our contest simply leave a comment stating what your favourite fair trade product is or which product pictured above you would most like to try. I will pick a winner on Tuesday, October 23 at 3 pm EST so please make sure we can contact you and check back to see if you win! The sample box your receive may include some different products than the ones pictured above.

133 thoughts on “Fair Trade USA Review and Giveaway

  1. I’d be most excited to try Stash Guayusa. I have tried a few of Stash’s teas, but not that one! Helping sustain businesses and communities is an amazing feat!

  2. Favourite fair trade product is bananas – because we eat them every day in my house, so it seems like the best way I can make an impact.

  3. My favorite fair trade products by far are Rishi Tea! I have found their tea to be phenomenal, they are lovely about giveaways, and their staff are all wonderful. Tangerine Ginger is my favorite ever.

  4. I do try to buy fair trade coffee, so I guess that would be my favorite fair trade product — but the product I’d most like to get my hands on is that Coconut Bliss.

  5. It’s most important to me to buy fair trade chocolate. Knowing that my guilty pleasure didn’t come from the hands of enslaved children in less fortunate parts of the world helps me feel better about eating something bad for me.

  6. My favorite are the Equal Exchange dark chocolate minis. I always try to keep a bag around, although I have to hide it or it all disappears in a mini-flash! Cheers!

  7. Fair trade is such an important movement. I love tea, but right now the Peruvian coffee is calling my name. And I love the color/design/message of that T-shirt!

  8. I always buy a locally roasted fair trade coffee that I adore, and fair trade chocolate bars just make them that much more delicious. And I’d love to devour a tub of that Coconut Bliss ice cream with no regrets.

  9. I haven’t tried very many fair trade things. Or, I haven’t been aware that it’s fair trade. I would love to now after reading this post, starting with that delicious sounding Coconut Bliss!

  10. I would love to try that Numi tea sampler! I’m so stressed out this fall, and my budget is tight. It would be nice to have a great cup of tea!

  11. I would love to try the coconut bliss ice cream! I’ve never had a vegan ice cream due to the fact New Orleans,LA culture is pushed towards flavorful non healthy food (unless its found at our only whole foods). Thus, I have to make all my own food, and don’t have an ice cream maker. :/ I would love to try it! :)))

  12. i have never had ginger tea, but it sounds amazing, especially for sore wintered throats (plus i love tea tins)!

  13. I’d like to try the tea sampler.

    And my favorite fair-trade products are sugar and cocoa powder, which I always buy fair-trade. I’ve recently discovered fair-trade tahini from Nuts to you, and it is since then by go-to tahini brand.

  14. Coconut Bliss! The shirt and tote bag will be great as well, since sporting them reinforces the fair trade message and gets people thinking and talking.

  15. I am not a coffee drinker but after reading that drinking coffee may help stave of Alzheimer’s, I’m thinking about starting. I would love to try the coffee above. I think it would be especially good with the Coconut Bliss.

  16. My favorite fair trade product is fair trade jewelry from a fair trade store in Lexington, Ky. Each piece has the story of the folks who made it. These products provide a beautiful gift for friends and show how everyone can be connected in a kind, non-exploitative way.

  17. Oh gosh, my favorite is probably the Coconut Bliss Ice Cream. I’m a sucker for a rich, creamy ice cream.

  18. My favourite fair trade products are a good cup of Kicking Horse coffee with a bite of a Terra Nostra Rice Milk Chocolate bar. Nothing beats this combination after a long day skiing!

    Of the above box, I’d love to try the coffee and compare it to my beloved Kicking Horse. You can never have too many different types of coffee!

    (Kicking Horse Coffee: http://www.kickinghorsecoffee.com/en)
    (Terra Nostra Chocolate: http://www.terranostra.us/pages/12/index.htm)

  19. I would jut LOVE to try a pint of Coconut Bliss! This is a brand I’ve never tried & would definitely like to 🙂

  20. Guayaki Yerba Mate, Dr. Bronner’s soap in peppermint, Badgers sunscreen, and the Endangered Species chocolate are some of my everyday favorites.

    I would love anything listed above, especially the Coconut Bliss 🙂

  21. I would most love the agave nectar. My kids like to eat steel cut oats with flax seed and agave nectar for breakfast. We go through a ton of the stuff!

  22. Fair Trade chocolate is my go-to! But of things in this box, coffee and coconut ice cream win, hands down! Also, my post on Wednesday is going to be about Fair Trade Month! woohoo.

  23. Really happy to see a fair trade post on vegan mofo! =) It is something I care about a lot in addition to veganism. I did my schooling in agriculture and learned some very sad things about exploitation! I always buy fair trade whenever I can find it- chocolate, tea, and my occasional forays into coffee. I haven’t seen fair trade bananas in my area, but was very intrigued to see a comment about that here! The item I would be most interested in for this giveaway would be the t-shirt because I’d wear it at least once a week and that would be great for advertisement. I like using my shirt-space that way! The tote would also be similarly helpful at the supermarket, and I am quite intrigued by the tasty looking tea selections and the agave.
    Thank you for the post! & Cheers ~

  24. The coconut bliss ice cream. Particularly all of the delicious sounding favours that have not yet made it up to Canada.

  25. I love the Numi’s Fair Trade Vanilla Chai Tea…. but I’m also a huge Fairtrade coffee fan.

    And mmmmmm, new kinds of coconut bliss? Count me in!

  26. I drink so much tea it’s ridiculous, and I love buying fair trade teas. All of the teas pictured above look so good, I’d be eager to try them all. But that Walnut Brownie Coconut Bliss also looks hard to beat!

  27. For myself, I would definitely choose the Peruvian blend coffee but, since I often cook and bake for others, especially children I would love to have the agave nectar to sweeten my treats. Both healthy and delicious for kids of all ages! 🙂

  28. i would love to try the rishi pu-erh ginger tea – i have a ginger addiction that it would fit into very nicely 😉

  29. I would love to give a try to that Stash Tea. Haven’t seen it anywhere and I’m a big tea fan. This pack of Fair Trade is seriously missing some chocolate!

  30. I would love to try the Guayusa! I’m a yerba matte junkie, and the reference made me super curious, not to mention, everything I’ve ever tried from Stash has been great.

  31. Equal Exchange French Roast is straight-up one of my favorite life-sustaining foods, closely followed by their espresso. Yay for all this fair trade love!

  32. only because i LOVE this procuct.. endangered species is my favorite. i would love to try all of the items in this prize pack! i am an avid tea drinker and coffee as well. i love the idea of supporting fair trade items/products and wish more people would get involved!

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