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Every spoonful of Fair Trade CertifiedTM and organic sweeteners makes the world a sweeter place.
Thanks to you, our retailers, and your customers, Wholesome Sweeteners is the category leader* in Fair Trade Certified, organic and natural sweeteners (see Wholesome's rankings by item). We work hard evey day to assure that our products are made from the finest organic and natural ingredients and are Fair Trade Certified whenever possible. Retail and consumer support of organic and fair trade products really does make a difference.
For People: Meeting the Fair Trade Certified Market
Wholesome Sweeteners pioneered the Fair Trade Certified sweetener movement and continues to lead by bringing additional products into the Fair Trade market, among them, Wholesome's newest products, Fair Trade Certified Organic Amber and Raw Honeys.
The Fair Trade Certified logo is our guarantee to you and your customers that we pay the farmers a set premium price for their crops. The money is wired directly from our accounts to the cooperatives' accounts in Costa Rica, Malawi, Mexico and Paraguay.
Since 2005, when Wholesome fair trade certified their granulated sugar line, we have paid more than $800,000 in premiums to our cooperative partners. This means that farmers can compete against factory farms, send their kids to school, develop the quality of their crops and build community resources. The additional income also means thay can invest in USDA Organic certification.
According to TransFairUSA, the US certifier of fair trade products, consumer demand for socially responsible goods, including Fair Trade Certified products, is rising. An all-time high of 91% of Americans say they are likely to switch brands to help support a cause, when price and quality are equal. Fair Trade Certified, the most consumer-recognized label of social responsibility, is becoming an invaluable asset to businesses across the country.
For the Planet: Conventional Practice to Organic Cultivation
On average, a single acre can produce about 35 metric tons of organic cane or 3.5 metric tons of organic sugar. (A "metric ton" is an industrial description of weight; a metric ton weighs about 2205 pounds). In 2001, Wholesome Sweeteners' first year of operation under the Billington's/Imperial Sugar partnership, we bought 3,000 metric tons (or about 6.6 million pounds) of organic sugar from Paraguayan farmers.
In 2007, Wholesome bought nearly 30,000 metric tons (66.2 million pounds) of organic sugar from Paraguay. More than an increase in the demand for organic sugar production, these numbers reflect a 10-fold increase in land dedicated to organic cane cultivation in Paraguay alone--from 10,000 acres to nearly 100,000 acres.
Given this good news, we'd like to help continue the trend, converting acreage to organic cultivation and creating fair trade systems that support farmers' independence and community development.
With this in mind, we've developed this retail resource center. Should you have questions or concerns not addressed here, please feel free to contact Wholesome Sweeteners Customer Service Team at 800.680.1896 or info@OrganicSugars.biz.
*SPINS 2008
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