Retailer Profiles
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Organic Planet Worker Co-op: Manitobans Go ‘Bananas’ for Fair Trade Produce!
Organic Planet Worker Co-op could be seen as a trailblazer on a variety of paths. Founded as a worker-owned co-operative in 2003, the grocery, vegan deli and health product retailer has been a leader in providing organic and locally-sourced food products to customers—and recently, they’ve added ‘fair trade’ to their list of sustainable contributions. Located in the heart of Winnipeg’s Wolseley area, at 877 Westminster Avenue, Organic Planet Worker Co-op has committed to building a strong neighbourhood through adhering to the principles of Community Economic Development, while running on a non-hierarchical system of consensus and worker equality. However, you don’t have to have a ‘membership’ to shop at Organic Planet—their sales are open to the public!
Organic Planet has been offering Transfair Canada-certified bananas for six months, fair trade avocados for four months, and now also carries mangoes and blueberries. Andy Blum, the store’s Produce Manager, is proud of the move towards offering fair trade, organic produce:
“I feel like [fair trade] is a really important part of our business. Every so often we get updates on the growers from the different regions, on how they’re treated, the benefits they receive from some of the products directly. It’s great that we’re a part of that process…it really makes you feel good.” Andy also mentions that Organic Planet has carried fair trade grapefruit in the past, and is hoping to be selling more leafy vegetables, like fair trade chard and kale in the near future. He notes that the fair trade produce they’ve been carrying has been quite popular, and that prices are very comparable to the regular organic produce on their shelves.Andy also expresses appreciation for the quality of their fair trade produce. He comments that it only takes about five days from the time the blueberries are picked in Chile, to when they arrive at their store (from their Vancouver supplier, Discovery Organics). He also acknowledges the long-term support these direct-trading relationships have on producers; for example, despite the recent earthquake in Chile affecting blueberry growers, they have assistance provided through their fair trade certification to recover and continue their livelihoods.
Aside from the produce, Organic Planet Worker Co-op also sells both packaged and prepared fair trade coffee, tea and hot chocolate, fair trade chocolate bars, cocoa and sugar. Andy hopes to see even more fair trade products on the shelves in the future, stating, “We get fair trade whenever possible. If the choice is there, it’s kind of a no-brainer, that’s what we’re going to go for”. It’s easy to see how the folks at Organic Planet Worker Co-op are leaders in providing fresh, healthy and ethically-produced food in Manitoba, supporting communities at home and abroad.
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Fresh Option Organic Delivery
Marnie and Kevin Feeleus are two former chefs who found that raising children and working restaurant hours were not compatible.
Because they still loved to feed people, they created a business dedicated to providing high quality food with an environmental and ethical pedigree.
Fresh Option Organic Delivery is an alternative localized food system for Manitobans. F.O.O.D. delivers ethical groceries right to the consumer’s front door.
In promoting and selling organic, vegetarian, vegan, local and/or fair trade products, they are dedicated to providing consumers in Winnipeg with a new alternative for accessing food. They are driven by a philosophy of sustainable environmental practices, community stewardship and socially conscious action.
F.O.O.D. uses “as many fair trade products as [they] can get [their] hands on”. Among their wide variety of fair trade items are chocolate, teas and coffees, and select produce whenever it is available.
They also work locally trying to implement fair trade criteria for local farmers, ensuring that consumers have the option to support local producers as well as international.
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Ten Thousand Villages
As part of the Mennonite Central Committee’s international effort, this popular non-profit fair trade organization offers a wide variety of ethical products from Palestinian cross-stitch needlework to Nubian baskets straight from Uganda. Based on the belief that all artisans globally should receive respect, dignity and hope from working hard and earning fair value for their work, this program offers an alternative, ethical choice for Canadian shoppers.
Ten Thousand Villages began in 1946 when Edna Ruth Byler, an MCC worker, visited volunteers in Puerto Rico and brought several pieces of embroidery home to sell to friends and neighbours. This initial effort continued to expand as Byler eventually sold fair trade products from her basement, and then came to create SELF HELP CRAFTS, an official MCC program. As SELF HELP flourished from the support of thousands of loyal customers and volunteers, it became known as Ten Thousand Villages in 1996.
Ten Thousand Villages is a member of the International Fair Trade Organization (IFAT) and operates over 40 stores across Canada – each of which is a unique global experience, ensuring fair wage and fair work for artisans internationally.
