Top 10 Blog Posts of 2017

1. Vanilla farmers in Madagascar leading against child labor

Preventing child labor on farms is one of the many issues Fairtrade tackles. This blog dives deeper into how Fairtrade works with committed farmers from Madagascar to end child labor and improve the livelihood of vanilla-producing families.

2. Fairtrade, A Movement for All

The Fairtrade Movement (i.e. you lovely people reading this blog) is critical to getting businesses and governments to change their practices to better support farmers. This article plainly lays out what the Fairtrade Movement is and lists the organizations around the world who support it. Read more about it and other amazing organizations fighting for change.

3. Fairtrade Part of Balanced Diet New Research Shows

Did you know that Fairtrade is catching on in a big way? This article discusses new research that finds US consumers are caring more and more about where their food comes from.

4. 10 Tantalizing Chocolate Facts

The reason this blog got into this list is simple. Chocolate. We love chocolate, you love chocolate, but do you know everything you could about it? Well here’s your chance…

5. Fairtrade America’s Summer 2017 Reading List

This staff-assembled reading list is not just good for warm weather – it works well for curling up with a cup of cocoa and a good book on chilly winter nights as well!

6. Make My Coffee Profitable, Future of Coffee Depends on Adequate Income

Fairtrade’s goal is to see small-scale farmers become able to support themselves and their families through the goods they produce – but we’re not there yet. This informative article, which includes one of the most detailed studies on coffee farmer income to date, spells out how difficult it is to make a living growing a crop that has many challenges.

7. Ok, Ladies, Now Let’s Talk Caffeination!

To many, 2017 was the Year of the Woman. From the Women’s March to the Day Without a Woman protest to the #MeToo movement, women have energized themselves across the country. This article details the exceptional challenges women face in farming communities internationally and how your purchase of Fairtrade products helps empower women in their communities.

Attention Activists: There will be another Women’s March this month on Sunday, January 21. Visit the Women’s March Website for More information about the March and Sister Marches across the US.

8. 10 Fairtrade Coffee Facts to Kick off the Morning

When people think about Fairtrade, coffee comes to mind, and for a good reason – did you know that coffee was the first product to be Fairtrade certified in 1988? Learn what all the fuss with Fairtrade coffee is about in this article.

9. Fairtrade Farmers Spur Nationwide Changes on Child Labor in Belize

This is another blog that discusses the critical issue of child labor, this time on sugar cane farms in Belize. This article walks through the steps that farmers, our partner producer network CLAC, and the government of Belize have taken since Fairtrade began working in the country in 2008 to combat the prevalence of child labor in the sugar industry and uphold Fairtrade’s commitment to children’s rights and well-being.

10. A Day in the life of a Fair Trade Mom: Newborn Edition

The last, but certainly not least, blog post we’re featuring is an article by new mom and Business Development Manager at Fairtrade America, Ariel Bramble. Ariel takes us through the day in the life of a mom that deeply cares about ethical purchases how she’s translates those values into motherhood.

We hope you enjoyed these featured blogs from 2017. We try to bring the most meaningful and impactful content to our readers and we’re looking forward to another year of funny and inspirational blog posts. Let us know what YOU want to see on the blog this year in the comments below.