Fair Trade USA's Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mother's Day 2012 is just around the corner, and we're here to help you find a few Fair ways to show mom you care. With Fair Trade USA’s Mother’s Day gift guide, we're giving you the opportunity to choose products that support fair wages and better lives millions of farmers and workers in more than 70 countries worldwide. Each chocolate bar, bouquet of roses, glass of wine, or yummy-smelling lotion was made with respect for the people who grow and sew the products we love. 

Merci Bouquet  

Gather Fair Trade florals into a bunch of love for the mom in your life. When you purchase Fair Trade Certified roses, you provide maternity leave, a pesticide-free environment, and job security for hundreds of women flower workers from Kenya to Ecuador.  Spray, sprig or posy – you’ll say it with love and fairness.  Fair Trade Certified flowers can be purchased at Whole Foods Market or online from OneWorldFlowers.org, 1-800-Flowers.com, FTD.com, Calyxflowers.com, and BowKay.com.

Order today to make sure the flowers arrive on time!

Cheers!  

What could be more elegant and festive than a Fair Trade Certified bottle of vino?  Be it a refreshingly dry Cabernet from Argentina or a mellow South African Merlot - once you pop the cork you will be contributing to a childcare and scholarship fund, a speaker’s forum on women’s issues, or a health insurance program for a farm worker’s family. For high-quality wine with a conscience, try a variety of reds and whites fromHeritage Link Brands and Matador Vino. You can even pick up some Wandering Grape at your local Target.

Cleanliness is Next to Goodliness  

Pamper your queen bee with a bath time that’s not only luxurious and relaxing—but Fair Trade Certified to boot. Soaps, body scrubs, lotions and beauty products from companies like Planet Botanicals, AuraCacia, Acure, Badger Balm and Dirty Beauty will have your mom bubbling over with enthusiasm. Thanks to an all-natural ingredients base of Fair Trade Certified shea butter, organic virgin coconut oil, cocoa pods, and more, these bath and beauty products are a great way to make a difference while showing Mom you care. Fair Trade USA’s partners employ poverty-stricken women from developing nations and pay them fair wages so they can support their families and live independent, sustainable lives.

Sew What You Reap  

Your may have mother told you that clothes make the (wo)man, but now you can tell her about the woman who makes the clothes!  T-shirts, panties, and aprons made by workers in Fair Trade factories guarantee that employerspay decent wages, ensure health and safety standards, and secure the right to join trade unions. Check out the selection of Fair trade apparel offered by Maggie's Organics, Good & Fair, PrAna and the Autonomie Project. These companies work hard to ensure that no one was harmed or abused in the process of your garments production.

Bar None  

For most taste buds, chocolate never goes out of style—especially when it’s made with the sustainable savvy of one of our Fair Trade Certified cocoa growers.  We're sure Mom won’t mind indulging when she finds out that her gourmet chocolate bar is eco-friendly and was produced without child labor. The only guilt Mom will have after nibbling on Fair Trade confections is that she kept it all to herself! Take it up a notch and bake something sweet with Fair Trade Certified cocoa powder from Casacao this Mother's Day as well! Other Fair Trade chocolates include Lily's, Le Marais Chocolat, TCHO, Alter Eco, Sweet Earth Organics and Coco-Zen. 

Breakfast in Bed

Start the day off right by treating mom to a leisurely Fair Trade breakfast in bed. There's nothing better than waking up to the smell of responsibly-sourced coffee and tea. Try Weaver's Astral Blend and they'll donate a portion of their profits to breast cancer research. Some other companies that support the well-being of farming communities around the world are Thanksgiving Coffee, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Grounds for Change, Café Femenino, Tea Forte, Numi Tea, Zhena’s Gypsy Tea, Art of Tea, Runa and Stash Teas.

Women for Women 

Whether you show  your mom the love with breakfast in bed or a boquet of roses, with Fair Trade you can make this Mother's Day about mothers all around the world. 

Women who work on Fair Trade Certified farms and in Fair Trade factories are guaranteed access to healthcare and maternity leave. They are given opportunities to earn a decent living, work in safe conditions, invest in thier own homes, and take on leadership roles in their cooperatives and communities. This Mother’s Day, give your mom a gift that guarantees rights, protections, and a better life for women workers across the globe.