Today we challenge you to plan your own Fair Trade Month event (or party!). Whether it’s with a small group a friends or a larger organization, events are a great way to build awareness of Fair Trade.

From potlucks to film screenings, chocolate tastings to bake-offs, really anything goes! Our Fair Trade Event Toolkit is chock-full of sample timelines and creative ideas. Once your register your event and order your materials, you’ll receive a short DVD entitled Buyer Be Fair, an excellent piece to share with friends. We’ve put together a handy Discussion Guide for those wishing to facilitate thoughtful conversation around the film.

As a Fair Trade Event Host, you are a critical leader in an international movement that is harnessing globalization in a way that is both fair and empowering for farmers and workers throughout the world.

Here are some event ideas:
Fair Trade Certified Coffee Cupping: Gather a group of friends to taste 3-5 different Fair Trade Certified coffees. You may even be able to trace the beans back to the coffee cooperative that produced them.

Fair Trade Certified Wine Tasting: Purchase several different Fair Trade Certified wines and share them with your friends. You can even try pairing the wines with Fair Trade Certified chocolate for an extra-special night!

Fair Trade Certified Bake-Off: Ask your friends to use Fair Trade Certified ingredients to make their favorite baked goods. Tell them to look for Fair Trade Certified sugar, cocoa, vanilla, bananas, tea and coffee. Then gather to taste-test and use ballots to choose a winner. Make sure to take photos of the finished products and post them here!