To anyone wishing to be a fair trade retailer the steps you need to follow are similar as establishing your own business. The main benefit is that you not only earn profits but help producers and workers in developing countries.
Fair Trade Conscious Consumers
Before deciding on what product to sell it is important to determine first what your target market will be. This is not only true for a fair trade retailer but to other retailers as well. Presently there are only a select group of people that buy fair trade items. People who are into the “green movement” for instance prefer fair trade products mainly because they organic and environment friendly. College students as well as middle-aged women also lean towards buying these types of products. People who do meditation and intellectual individuals also choose fair trade products over the commercial ones. These groups of people are often called as conscious consumers. Conscious in the sense that they know buying such products benefits many people.
What to sell as a Fair Trade Retailer
Once you have decided on your target market, the next step to being a fair trade retailer is to decide what products you want to sell. Fair trade products are generally divided into either handicrafts or agricultural. Agricultural products include coffee, tea and other food products. Once the decision has been made, it is now time for you to decide where to buy the products. You have two choices. You can either buy from wholesalers or buy directly from the producers.
If you choose to buy from a producer, this means that you have to put in extra effort and time to finding a group that produces the good that you want. One would need to communicate as well as travel to the actual place. There are many organizations that can help you in this manner. However due to the amount of resources and time needed in setting up a deal with producers, a lot of retailers simply choose to go to wholesalers. If you do choose this method, be sure to check if the wholesaler is indeed practicing fair trade.
These are just a few of the many challenges that one needs to hurdle in order to be a fair trade retailer. However one big advantage of being a fair trade retailer is not just being able to help those in developing countries. As a fair trade retailer your products also become one of the many faces that the general public will relate to the cause.
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