Comments on: 4 Places to Buy Fair-Trade Tea Online

By: Ann T.

Ann T. — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 02:42:34 +0000

I’m a tea addict. I could never get through an entire day without a cup of freshly-brewed tea. If you taste in tea is as eclectic as mine, it is not always possible to purchase FTC tea.The smell alone is enough to make my mouth water and the delicious sensation of fresh hot tea sliding down my throat is something that I always take time to relish during my tea break. Cheers!

By: Evelyn

Evelyn — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:39:31 +0000

Partners tea only uses organic and fair trade ingredients…also they donate 1% of sales to womens initiatives like educating girls and micro loans..their founder Sarah Scarborough has direct relationships with many tea estates and had designed all her custom blends. I love the Goodnight Kiss as a decaf option at night. Please post this site on your list as well. Thanks Evelyn

By: Cambree

Cambree — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:48:07 +0000

Good list! "two leaves and a bud tea co is working on converting more of our teas to Fair Trade organic teas in the months that follow." I look forward to this as I love their teas.

By: Marlena A

Marlena A — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:54:06 +0000

Thank you for taking the time to do this. Upton’s and Simpson and Vail also do some fairtrade teas. I am more familiar with them, but I am working on expanding my horizons and this will be a big help.

By: Cinnabar

Cinnabar — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:49:03 +0000

This is a useful list, and all of these companies are to be commended for their work encouraging (enforcing) equitable labor practices in the tea industry.

The whole topic of Fair Trade is much more complicated than most people think it is. While Fair Trade certification does tell us that the production of the tea has passed the tests of the people awarding the certifications, it doesn’t always translate into a direct ongoing benefit to workers. It’s also important to recognize that just because something is not Fair Trade certified doesn’t mean that it is produced through the exploitation of workers. There are numerous small tea farms in China and Korea that will probably never be officially certified Fair Trade or organic, even though they follow equitable labor practices and don’t use chemical pesticides.