We are the local Marketing Organisation for Fairtrade and we are associate members of Fairtrade International since April 2009. Our mission is to alleviate rural poverty and to empower small-scale farmers as well as disadvantaged workers primarily in Africa by creating market opportunities for and increasing sales of Fairtrade labelled products in South Africa.
We are a team of diverse and motivated people who work together with local market actors in order to bring Fairtrade closer to local businesses and consumers. CONTACT US for more information!
Our work includes:
PROMOTION OF FAIRTRADE
We organise and participate in a variety of events and promotional activities to educate consumers about Fairtrade and encourage a demand for Fairtrade labelled products in South Africa. We are active on social media, especially Facebook and Twitter, and want to motivate South Africans to build a strong movement for ethical and sustainable trade.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
We believe that there is huge potential in creating South-South trade on Fairtrade principles. We work with South African and African traders, manufacturers and retailers to stimulate a local Fairtrade market. By encouraging all-African supply chains, we aim to foster value-adding activities locally, thus keeping the benefits and profits generated by Fairtrade in the continent - ultimately encouraging African development.
LICENSING AND MONITORING
Together with Fairtrade International, we license local companies that want to use the FAIRTRADE label on their products and monitor its use to make sure that the integrity of Fairtrade is not compromised.
THE HISTORY OF FAIRTRADE IN SOUTH AFRICA
2009, April - FLSA becomes an associate member of Fairtrade International and the official Fairtrade Marketing Organisation for South Africa. At this stage, there are dozens of Fairtrade certified farms in South Africa (wine, rooibos, citrus, fruits, raisins, etc.) but they all export overseas. There are no Fairtrade labelled products in the local shops.
2010, May - FLSA starts actively promoting Fairtrade to local consumers. The first products to become available are some locally produced Fairtrade wines and one coffee brand made with Fairtrade beans from East African co-operatives.
2011, June - Kraft Foods SA announces that their Cadbury Dairy Milk [plain chocolate] is to achieve Fairtrade certification. This is a groundbreaking move that will make Fairtrade more accessible to local consumers.
2011 - FLSA office now counts 5 people working in marketing, promotions, communications and business development. Over 15 South African companies are selling Fairtrade labelled products locally.
