Equal Exchange Trading is a UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

-based alternative trading organization

Alternative trading organization

An alternative trading organization is usually a non-governmental organization or mission-driven business aligned with the Fair trade movement, aiming "to contribute to the alleviation of poverty in developing regions of the world by establishing a system of trade that allows marginalized...

. Equal Exchange is a workers co-operative distributing food and beverage products in the independent natural food sector. The organization's origins stretch back to 1979 "when three voluntary workers returned to Edinburgh after working on aid projects in various parts of Africa."

Over 90% of the company's products are both Organic

Organic food

Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...

 and Fairtrade.

Priorities

Equal Exchange Trading insists on having its teas packed at source so that the economic benefits of this 'value-added' activity stay in the country and region of origin.

Achievements

• In 1991, together with Oxfam
  Oxfam
  Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
  
  , Traidcraft
  Traidcraft
  Traidcraft is a UK-based fairtrade organisation, established in 1979. The organisation has two components: a public limited company called Traidcraft plc, which sells fairly traded products in the United Kingdom; and a development charity called Traidcraft Exchange that works with poor producers in...
  
   & Twin Trading
  Twin Trading
  Twin Trading is a leading alternative trading company in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1985 and is based in London.Twin Trading is wholly owned by Twin, a registered charity and membership organisation. Twin's membership comprises 24 farmer co-operatives in eight countries, drawing together...
  
   they launched Cafédirect
  Cafédirect
  Cafédirect is a UK-based alternative trading organization. It is currently one of the largest Fairtrade hot drinks companies in the world. As well as coffee, Cafédirect has a hot beverage range that includes 100% Fairtrade tea and hot chocolate...
  
  , the UK's first mainstream Fairtrade coffee brand.
• In 1998 they launched the first honey product to carry the Fairtrade Mark.
• In 2005 their best-selling product, Medium Roast Coffee, becomes top-rated by Ethiscore.
• In 2006 they became the first company in the United Kingdom to sign a license agreement with Ethiopia's
  Ethiopia
  Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
  
   Intellectual Property Office to distribute its trademarked coffees.
• In 2007 they helped to found Liberation Foods CIC, the UK’s first and only 100% Fairtrade Nut company.
• In 2009 they launched the world's first range Organic Fairtrade-certified Palestinian
  Palestinian territories
  The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
  
  Extra Virgin Olive Oils.

Awards

• 2005, Equal Exchange Amazon Flame Brazil Nut Oil wins Gold Great Taste Award
• 2008, Equal Exchange nominated for Ethical Business of the Year at the Observer Ethical Awards