Buying fair trade > People behind the products
People behind the products
Buying fair trade products makes a real difference to people's lives, helping to build a better future for them, their families and their communities.
At Traidcraft, we work to build lasting relationships with small-scale producers in developing countries.
Our long-term commitment to fair trade enables our producers to plan for the future and secure sustainable livelihoods, provide schooling and healthcare, and fund community projects like clean water.
Find out how fair trade benefits our producers
Crafts
Jayaraman and Jaya’s storyHusband and wife Jayaraman and Jaya not only work at the pottery but their five-year-old daughter, Jayasri, attends the pottery’s school next door.
Sirci and Alberto's storySirci Marquez and her husband, Alberto, have made a successful life for themselves through their ceramics workshop just outside Lima, but they have never forgotten the life and the people that they left behind.
Jagwati's storyChecking Traidcraft orders at Tara Projects in Delhi not only provides Jagwati with a fair wage, but with pleasant working conditions.
Vy and Duyen's storyProducing products like the cat tape measures sold by Traidcraft provides valuable employment, with five people involved in creating each one.
Cotton
Satbir's storyA good price, technical guidance and interest-free loans are just some of the benefits that cotton farmer Satbir Singh enjoys through working with Agrocel.
Narmaben's storyNarmaben Manji, who works as a cotton farmer in India, hopes that selling organic cotton to Agrocel – one of Traidcraft’s suppliers - will help to provide her grandsons with a better future.
Grapes and wine
Pili's storyAt Traidcraft we don't just sell fair trade products, we pioneer new ones. With our support, farmers in Eksteenskuil, South Africa, became the world's first supplier of Fairtrade raisins - and now we've helped MiFruta in Chile to become the second.
Berta's storyBerta Ramirez farms with her husband, Audilio, on land which she inherited from her father 25 years ago. It is a long, narrow farm totalling 5.5 hectares, of which 1.3 hectares grow grapes.
Michael's storyFarm worker Michael Silwer harvests the South African grapes that become Fairtrade, sun-dried raisins used in Traidcraft Christmas cakes and in our Geobar range.
Honey
Guido's storyBeekeepers Sonia Chicao and her husband, Guido Guenupan, didn’t allow the fact that neither of them drive to deter them from buying a truck with a loan from Apicoop. Instead, they paid for their 20-year-old son, Guido jnr, to learn to drive – providing him with work in an area where jobs for young people are scarce.
Celia's storyBeekeeper Celia Gonzalez can easily identify one of the benefits of keeping bees by pointing to her new home.
Rice
Dalbir's storyRice farmer Dalbir Singh appreciates the good price and other benefits he receives when he sells his harvest to Agrocel. It’s in sharp contrast to his experience with other buyers.
Sugar
Joyce's storyJoyce Chibouro and her family will have access to electricity for the first time this summer – thanks to the Fairtrade premium on sales of sugar.
Doricca and Mary's storyFetching water is quicker and safer for Doricca and Mary now that they have a borehole in their village, paid for with the Fairtrade premium on locally grown sugar.
Coffee
Thankachan's storyCoffee farmer Thankachan Kaduvanal's first name means "as dear as gold", and it's a term that would fit well with his enthusiasm for the rich soil on his farm since he changed to organic farming and selling to Fair Trade Alliance Kerala.
Tea
Siji's storyFor Siji Jose, selling her tea on Fairtrade terms through the Sahyadri Farmers Consortium helps her to get a good price for the tea, which means she can send her children to school and put food on the family table.
V Chellai's storyNo wonder Indian tea farmer V Chellai and his wife, Kurzhamma are smiling. They not only enjoy growing tea on their small farm in Kerala, they are now getting a good price because they are members of Sahyadri Farmers Consortium – one of Traidcraft’s newest Fairtrade tea supplier.
AV Thomas' storyIndian tea farmer AV Thomas is a model farmer – and that’s official! He is passing on his farming expertise to neighbouring tea farmers in Kerala, ensuring quality in the Fairtrade tea sold through the Sahyadri Farmers Consortium.
Adriano's storyFor tea plucker Adriano Kalili, the fair wage he receives means he has been able to build a three-bedroom house for his wife, Alizeta, and their three children – and the Fairtrade premium has helped to provide the roof.
