Fairtrade Launches FMO in the Philippines

Fairtrade International in collaboration with SignAsia officially launches a Fairtrade Marketing Organization of the Philippines recently. Efforts to establish Fairtrade Philippines started in 2013. The move comes now after two years of successful collaboration with producers, commercial businesses, Filipino consumers and after fulfilling all the requirements of Fairtrade International to become a Fairtrade Marketing Organization.

Fairtrade Philippines intends to drive market presence and increase sales of Fairtrade products in the country. The organization will be working with commercial partners to make Fairtrade products available over a wide array of channels reaching the target ethical individual consumers and socially responsible institutional buyers.

The country currently has two supermarkets chains selling Fairtrade products, Rustans and Metro. In addition, Starbucks serves Fairtrade coffee and Marks & Spencer sells Fairtrade coffee, tea, chocolate and wine.

“The market here is ready to embrace Fairtrade,” says Sandy de Veyra the General Manager of Fairtrade Philippines. “It has all the essential components: there is a rise in the number of retail stores selling Fairtrade; there are small producer organizations and hired labor organizations wanting to sell their produce locally, mature commercial partners and a rising middle class who are socially aware and have the buying capacity and the growing awareness of ethical consumerism.”

The Philippines’ three Fairtrade certified small farmer organizations hope that more companies come on board so they can sell more of their Fairtrade products on the domestic market. Another two Fairtrade certified traders hold Fairtrade certification, including Alter Trade Corporation who is well known for its Fairtrade muscovado sugar.