Using Fair Trade tea and coffee in your staff room is a great way your school
can help ensure the sustainability of communities in the developing world.

Why is there a need for Fair Trade?

The inequity of international trading structures has meant that millions of small-scale farmers and landless labourers in developing countries can't afford the basics in life such as food/healthcare and education.

Tea and coffee is usually grown en masse in huge plantations and is then shipped thousands of miles away to be processed in foreign countries. The best tea and coffee is grown in the tropics, between 0° and 20° longitude from the equator. Most of this region is made up of developing countries struggling with widespread poverty, huge debt problems and environmental degredation.

However, for people who want a more socially and environmentally friendly cuppa, Universal Village is providing an alternative…

What is Fair Trade?

Fair Trade is an alternative approach to international trade that seeks to ensure that small-scale farmers and plantation workers work under safe conditions and receive a fair price for their crops and labour.

Fair Trade seeks to give producers in developing countries more power; by paying them a fair price, by helping them to develop the skills they need to develop their businesses and by developing long term trading relationships, rather than just buying goods at the cheapest price.

Universal Village always seeks to buy tea and coffee that is processed locally (within the developing country). This is particularly important because over 80% of the value of tea and coffee is created at the processing and packaging stage. Local processing also helps to create valuable employment for those who need it most and ensures the sustainability of both the livelihood and the environment on which the farmers depend.

Is Fair Trade expensive? How can I buy it?

Fair Trade tea and coffee is not expensive but is competitively priced with other similar products. Universal Village's mission is to help as many farmers as possible in the developing world by selling their products, so we try to keep them as cheap as we can so everyone can benefit.

Where can my school buy Fair Trade tea and coffee?

Universal Village has a catalogue and price list we can send out to you (with some samples to taste). You can order by phone, email or fax using our Easy Order Fax Form and we deliver (via Australia Post) to your door a few days later.

If you would like a catalogue of Fair Trade teas and coffees available from Universal Village,
or would like more information on Fair Trade please contact Nicole Philp Tel/Fax: +61 3 9729 1474.
or email uvillage@smart.net.au