Oxfam recently launched a campaign “Meet Wakami” to add a personal spin to the fair trade products they sell. I love the campaign, and ideally I would love to tell the personal story behind every product we sell.This is something we will explore in the near future.
http://www.oxfamshop.org.au/wakami
One fundamental difference between fair trade and free trade products is that, fair trade cares about artisans and values their individuality and creativity. I have met talented artisans who were forced to work on repetitive tasks in a crowded factory for 14 hours a day for less than $2. Until fair trade is embraced by consumers, these people will continue to suffer.