The following press release comes from the Fair World Project.
News came out last week that Bob Stiller, founder of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (now Keurig Green Mountain) and still recognized as Chairman Emeritus, made a $10 million dollar grant to Fair Trade USA, a fair trade labeling organization on whose board Stiller sits. This is a challenge grant requiring $10 million additional dollars to be raised, bringing the total investment in Fair Trade USA (FTUSA) to $20 million.
In theory, this news should have the fair trade movement jumping up and down. Instead, many of us are wondering if this may be the final blow to the meaningful fair trade that we have advocated for so long. Read more here.
Not really surprising — with FTUSA’s weak standards Green Mountain will probably be able to put a ‘Fair Trade Certified’ seal on all its coffee. [And with Coca Cola as a GM’s largest shareholder, this is even more predictable.]