We recently hosted a Zoom conversation with Rachel Faller the founder of tonlé, a sustainable fashion label with all the right style and values. Working in Cambodia on a Fulbright scholarship, Rachel saw the impacts of fast fashion first hand, and she struck a new path. Her clothing line is zero waste, though we would
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At the end of 2019, Untours Foundation Co-CEO Elizabeth Killough delivered the commencement address for Penn State, Brandywine. This branch on Pennsylvania’s state university system is near and dear our heart for its groundbreaking commitment to Fair Trade. Elizabeth’s speech touched on Fair Trade, ecology, and our shared destiny. She also addressed our capacity to
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Pachamama Coffee Cooperative is a 100% farmer-owned coffee growers cooperative, administrated in Sacramento, California. It brings together thousands of growers from Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, and Ethiopia and guarantees that 100% of its profits go back to the farmer-owners. Pachamama offers a wide range of premium organic coffees and offers consumers interesting, exciting, and innovative
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Since the opening of its first storefront in 1950, SERRV International has worked to bring fairly sourced crafts and foodstuffs to market. SERRV sells a wide range of housewares, crafts, clothing, foods, and gifts, all fairly traded and responsibly made. As one of the first Fair Trade organizations in the world, they have extended to
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Earth and State is a charming shop that sells handmade crafts and unique gifts. A vital part of the small business landscape of Media, PA, the hometown of Untours, this shop offers beautiful things sourced with care. The shop’s name is a cheeky reference to their location of the main drag of Media, State Street.
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There are so many shopping guides out there for the holidays. Why is ours superior, seriously? Because these companies don't just create wonderful products, they create good jobs, they care for the environment and create the positive changes we need in the world. And, finally, they are all "Investees" -- the Untours Foundation has backed them with a low-interest loan or an equity investment.
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Yes, it’s that time again — but do it differently! It’s time to think of gifts again. While we support giving homemade gifts, as well as gifts of special time and attention, sometimes, for some folks, we do want to give some thing. This holiday season, why not try shopping from an Untours Foundation
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The Background: Equal Exchange has been selling fair trade coffee since 1986, and we first supported them with a loan in 1998. We invested equity in 2009 to launch their fair trade banana importing company Oke USA. Equal Exchange/Oke USA supports fair trade cooperatives and bring their goods to the US market, fostering mutually beneficial relationships and environmental sustainability.
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This Saturday is World Fair Trade Day! There are multitudes of ways to celebrate and get involved. Find an event near you — here and here! According to Elizabeth, Hal had the seemingly crazy idea to make our hometown of Media America’s First Fair Trade Town back in 2005, and now — we can browse Fair Trade
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This week, the first ten Fair Trade Schools in the United States were certified. No less than three of these schools are located in our hometown of Media, Pennsylvania! As a parent of three children at Media-Providence Friends School, and close with families at Media Elementary School, both newly certified schools, I (Shannon) have been
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