Our final Women’s History Month feature (for this year!) spotlights Women of the Cloud Forest, co-founded by Amy Kofmehl-Sobkowiak. They have partnered with artisan workshops in Central and South America since 2001 to create products that will appeal to a wide audience. The Sobkowiaks visit the artisans twice a year so their relationships have a strong foundation! They provide English

In our third week of celebrating Women’s History Month, and we’re happy to introduce Amanda Armstrong, the founder of Beautifully Made Fair Trade. She brings the joy of Haitian artistry beyond the island and into our homes! Inspired by Haitian artisans while working elsewhere in Haiti, her dedication to fair trade has blossomed beyond imagination! What inspired the start of

We still have so much to celebrate for Women’s History Month! This week, we are excited to feature a changemaker who has been traveling along this journey with us since we first began Fair Trade Winds in 2007. Ruchi Agrawal founded Matr Boomie along with her husband, Manish Gupta. In India, their native country, they saw workers being exploited, being

As is our tradition every March, we celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day with stories and interviews featuring women in the fair trade world. This series is in its fifth year! We recognize women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements and share interviews with women in the fair trade world. Their impact is felt everyday. This year’s theme is

For our final feature this Women’s History Month, we are excited to introduce Tekia Thompson, the Community Outreach and Sales Manager for Global Mamas. Tekia is also the founder of @black_and_fair on Instagram, a space for her to share and help create a fair world for people of color. She also  hosts conversations about diversity for white people especially to participate

Our Women’s History Month celebration continues by featuring women artisans in South Africa and Amy Stretmater, the founder of Koru Street. “Koru” is the Maori name given to the unfurling fern frond, symbolizing new life. She launched Koru Street over ten years ago, to bring amazing products made by women to the U.S. marketplace. We recently added the sustainable Growing

As is our tradition every March, we celebrate Women’s History Month by sharing stories and interviews with women in the fair trade world. This blog series is in its fourth year! Our first interview is with Molly Stillman, who we would describe as fair trade’s #1 cheerleader! She’s the face of Still Being Molly, an inspiring ethical fashion and lifestyle

Michelle (left) and Fay (right) pictured together in pre-COVID times. This week, we culminate our celebration of International Women’s Day with the founders of The Tote Project. Best friends Michelle Chavez and Fay Grant founded the project in 2013, and are proof that two is better than one! After learning about the prevalence of human trafficking and the millions of

When women work, change happens! In our continuing celebration of International Women’s Day, we are featuring a long-time fair trade friend Teresa Hendricks, the founder of Lucia’s Imports. Since 2005, she has worked side by side with Guatemalan artisans and built long-lasting relationships built on mutual respect. Artisans earn a living wage and thrive in a region where there are

International Women’s Day is celebrated on Monday, March 8, and we are honored to feature Ganesh Himal Trading, a pioneer in the fair trade movement. Denise Attwood co-founded Ganesh Himal with her husband, Ric, over 36 years ago. Through natural disasters, joys, sorrows, and the creation of thousands of products, Ganesh Himal is a pillar in the fair trade community

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8, and every year at this time, it’s our tradition to feature our partnerships with women-led fair trade businesses. This year, the pandemic has amplified the importance of supporting women-owned businesses and women artisans. Our first interview is with Allie Sundet, the Marketing & Engagement Manager for the nonprofit Bright Endeavors. These candles are one

The latest from our artisan partners In 2020, we shared stories of our artisan partners from around the world, and how they are faring during this difficult time. We got in touch with many of them in the new year, and wanted to share their updates. Because of COVID-19, they have all shifted the way they do business. But they

Kelly, the founder of Spinster Sisters Co., is pictured among shelves of soap with a tattoo of her inspiration on her arm: her mom. Kelly Perkins began Spinster Sisters Co. in her kitchen, making bar soap for friends and family. She realized that people were looking for soap that was free of chemicals—customers were more conscious of the ingredients that they wanted

Jenny McGee took a leap of faith in 2006, and began Starfish Project in Asia. Her outreach in the red light district led to a desire to help women and girls create a new path for themselves and develop a respectable career. She saw their need to establish independence, live a joy-filled life, and most of all, experience freedom. We are honored

Jen, the founder of Venture Imports, is pictured with Venic, one of the best soapstone polishers there is. In continuing with our celebration of International Women’s Day, we are proud to feature Jen Misner, the founder of Venture Imports. Since 2001, Venture Imports has been working with artisans who create inspiring brass charms and beautiful kisii soapstone and glass products in Kenya.

Huong (pictured on the right) with her “dream team” in Vietnam. International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8, and it is our tradition to feature our partnerships with women artisans and women-owned fair trade businesses all month long! Our first interview is with Huong Nguyen Wolf, the co-founder of Quilling Card. These cards are one of the most

The Fashion Revolution is here, and everyone can join in! New apparel for babies and kids (and adults too) from Global Mamas has arrived at our stores—every piece is made from organic cotton, hand batiked in vibrant colors and sewn by talented “Mamas” in Ghana.   We chatted with Jess Bowen from Global Mamas about the important work of the

We are kicking off our Fashion Revolution celebration in April with Katie Schmidt, the founder, owner, and lead designer of Passion Lilie. Passion Lilie is a fair trade apparel brand for women and men with a mission to empower artisans across the world by creating dignified employment opportunities. The fast fashion industry encourages us to wear things a few times,

We have more stories to share from the women who help bring some of our favorite products into our customers’ hands! Lia Valerio, co-founder of Malia Designs, served in the Peace Corps in Tonga in the South Pacific and traveled to Cambodia. Her visit inspired her; she witnessed human trafficking in the area and wanted to do something to combat

Our celebration of International Women’s Day is still going strong! This week, we are excited for you to learn more about Kelly Weinberger, the founder of WorldFinds. WorldFinds was one of our first vendor partners when Fair Trade Winds was born over ten years ago—we feel a special connection to the artisans and are in awe of Kelly’s passion for

This week, we are continuing our International Women’s Day celebration with Amanda Judge, founder of Faire Collection. Amanda and her team travel to remote corners of the globe to develop the skills of marginalized artisans, and they are proud to share their undiscovered talents with you! Faire Collection is deeply committed to elevating the lives of their artisan partners in

  International Women’s Day is coming up on March 8 and we want to celebrate all month long by highlighting some of our amazing women partners and artisans. For our first feature, we interviewed Joy McBrien, founder of Fair Anita. Fair Anita is a social enterprise that’s all about empowering women from around the world through dignified jobs and fair

Peace, Love, & Chocolate! *The following post was written by Ben Conard, Founder at Five North Chocolate® and named one of the Top 10 Biggest Fair Trade Advocates in the World by Fairtrade International. He’s also a cousin of the Fair Trade Winds family 🙂 The #1 Question I’m Asked: “Why chocolate?” People often ask me: “Why chocolate?” And I admittedly don’t have a super sexy