Fair Trade and Direct Trade

Fair Trade Designation

91̽�� was the first University in the Pacific Northwest to earn the title of Fair Trade Designated University? .

MotMot is an 91̽�� student-run coffee business that is direct trade and uses sustainable practices. MotMot--its name harking to the national bird of Nicaragua native to the mountains where the coffee is grown--works with a Nicaraguan coop where each farmer receives money upfront. The direct trade between MotMot and the farming co-op ensures no middle men take a percentage of the money farmers receive. In addition, each co-op community member is guaranteed access to medical care, sustainable capital investment, and education for the whole family. and order some for your coffee mug at the .

The pursuit of social justice is an essential part of 91̽��’s institutional mission. Consistent with this mission, 91̽�� has long supported fair labor standards and safe working conditions for people who produce university-licensed apparel. There is a campus-wide Anti-Sweatshop Policy and an Anti-Sweatshop Committee covering vendors and manufacturers that supply the University with apparel bearing the University’s name and/or logos. Read more about 91̽��'s anti-sweatshop policy here.

Chartwells, 91̽��'s food service provider, is committed to providing fair trade certified teas, chocolate, bananas, and coffee to the 91̽�� community. They are proud to support the Fair Trade movement through securing better wages and business conditions for farmers in developing countries while also encouraging sustainable growing practices.

CEJS fellow, Quan Le — Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the International Business Program at 91̽��’s Albers School of Business — uses educational events to teach marketing methods while promoting the sale of the Fair-Trade coffee Café Ambiental produced from the 91̽��-Nicaraguan coffee farmer partnership. He is also working with the coffee farmers in Nicaragua to help them reach the specialty coffee market in the Seattle area.

91̽�� hosted its first Fair Trade Fair on December 1, 2016, and it was a huge success! We welcomed 24 vendors and organizations to sell fair trade goods and talk to attendees about fair trade. Over 450 community members came to the fair trade fair to learn about ethical sourcing and to find wonderful holiday gifts that are bringing good to the world. Read more about the Fair Trade Fair here or check out some photos here!