Honest Tea Portfolio Now 100% Fair Trade

BOSTONHonest Tea announced its entire tea portfolio will now be Fair Trade Certified. The companys first Fair Trade tea offering was Peach Oo-la-long, launched in 2003. Since then, the company has continued to expand its Fair Trade offerings. Over the past three years, Honest Tea expanded its Fair Trade offerings from seven to 19 varieties, and with this new initiative, all 28 of its teas will become Fair Trade Certified beginning in December 2010. The company expects the transition to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2011.
"After water, tea is the most consumed beverage worldwide. We're excited to expand our commitment to Fair Trade as a way to help ensure the people who are picking and processing our tea leaves are earning a fair wage in third-party monitored working conditions," said Seth Goldman, President and TeaEO of Honest Tea.
"Honest Tea is once again raising the bar for the entire industry. Honest Tea has been a pioneer in social responsibility from the beginning, so this decision is a natural, authentic progression in the company's history," said Paul Rice, President and CEO of Fair Trade USA. "This expansion makes the statement that sustainability and empowerment in the developing world matter to Honest Tea, and that they care about the workers who harvest their tea and the future of their communities."
Fair Trade offers tea workers fair wages, community investment funds called Fair Trade premiums, and the business skills training necessary to produce high-quality products that can compete in the global marketplace. Fair Trade certification also requires tea gardens to comply with workplace standards set by Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International and Fair Trade USA to ensure safety, equality and fairness. A joint body of workers decides democratically how to invest Fair Trade premiums earned from the tea to support community development projects.