Flowers Program

Producers

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Benefits of becoming a Fair Trade Certified Producer

Fair Trade Certified producers have access to a market that pays more for certified products. Consumers and buyers are willing to pay more for Fair Trade products, and producers can count on a growing market that pays fair and stable prices.

Also, representatives of the workers and management form an organization that receives a premium (around 10% on top of the FOB price at origin) which must be used for projects that improve the social or environmental situation in their communities. These projects might include scholarships, housing, or daycare. These benefits can help producers to attract and retain the best employees.

Costs and Requirements for becoming a Fair Trade Certified Producer

In order to sell their flowers as Fair Trade Certified, farms must comply with both the Generic Standards for Hired Labor and the product-specific Flower Standards. The Fair Trade standards consist of minimum requirements and progress requirements. In order to become certified initially, it is necessary to at least comply with the minimum requirements. Beyond that, every year the farm must demonstrate progress in fulfilling the progress requirements. Part of complying with these standards is eliminating the use of chemicals on the Prohibited Materials List.

The costs of certification and renewal are based on number of employees. For a farm with 100 employees, the cost is approximately US$2700. There is an additional application cost of US$325. The cost to renew certification each year is slightly less than the initial inspection. The costs to comply with the standards vary among farms. It is best to review the complete standards to evaluate with which standards your farm complies (or does not comply).

Process of becoming a Fair Trade Certified Producer

1. Review the complete standards on FLO's website (FLO is the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International whose offices are in Germany).
2. Contact TransFair USA at flowercert@transfairusa.org to request an initial application.
3. Work with TransFair USA to fill out the initial application and a secondary questionnaire asking more details about your organization
4. If the questionnaire is approved, FLO will schedule a date with you to conduct an on-site inspection of your organization. The local FLO inspector will evaluate your organization during several days and will send a report to FLO. The inspector will review documents in your office as well as conduct interviews with directors, members of the organization, and workers.
5. Based on the FLO Inspector's report, the Certification Committee will decide whether your organization will be certified. The Certification Committee could establish conditions that must be fulfilled in order for your organization to comply with the FLO standards.
6. After being certified by FLO, you will work with TransFair USA to connect with buyers of Fair Trade products in the United States.

Questions? Don't hesitate to contact us!
flowers@transfairusa.org
510-663-5260