Tea farmers walk with Fronter Co-op CEO Tony Bedard and project partners in Champawat, India.
OUR APPROACH to RESPONSIBLE SOURCING
Our commitment to centering resilience in smallholder farmers strengthens our farming communities and ensures the long-term sustainability of the supply chain on which everyone involved in and impacted by our work relies. We carry out this commitment by responding to the needs of our farming communities – from edu- cation, medical and basic needs to the impacts of climate change, the geopolitical landscape, and needs related to business capacity building. We do this through our investment in regenerative organic agriculture, our longstanding Well Earth Impact Program which includes our Cooperative Development Program (CDP) projects and USAID partnership, and our commitment to social fairness through Fair Trade International and our Fair Trade America Fixed Premium Pilot Program.
Since our inception as a co-op supplying wholesale herbs and spices to member- owners in bulk quantities, we’ve been committed to the idea that when we work together and lead with a concern for people and planet, we can have substantial impact. This work begins at the source of our products, and is rooted in two key commitments: responsible production and consumption through traceability and transparency, and centering resilience for smallholder farmers along our supply chain. Our commitment to traceability and transparency, including ethical trade, quali- ty, and food safety, is part of our living purpose and a non-negotiable priority. Our work to ensure traceability and transparency includes helping farmers transition from conventional to organic practices, providing training and capacity building to help farmers meet food safety standards and qualify for certifications, and encouraging the use of traceability systems. This work is supported by 1) our membership in Sedex, which provides a formal assessment and scoring system, risk identification and auditing, 2) robust quality control systems, and 3) transparency in labeling.
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