Fair Trade at Les Jardins de Gaïa

When Arlette Rohmer founded Les Jardins de Gaïa twenty years ago, it was her dream as an ardent campaigner right from the beginning to sell good, organic and, above all, “fair” teas.

Over the years, Arlette has forged strong ties with producers who care deeply for their land. However, the respect for nature they express in their use of organic farming principles was not afforded to them in equal measure – a fact that was unacceptable to Arlette.

For the founder of Les Jardins de Gaïa organic production and fair trade have always gone hand in hand and the idea of having to justify fair practices with specific labels seemed incongruous even at the time.

But in today’s world where marketing messages may at times conceal dubious practices, these labels have become a necessity. Les Jardins de Gaïa abides by the labelling standards as clearly and transparently as possible.

Occasionally, real shortcomings of labelling schemes are revealed. Therefore it is important to reassert the usefulness of fair trade labelling and to outline the ways in which we collaborate with our business partners.

It has been Arlette Rohmer’s deepest wish right from the start to work directly with “small producers”. This way she was able to help promote agriculture on a human scale, increase choices and more readily improve the quality of the teas with each passing harvest.

These direct relationships form one of the cornerstones for the on-going growth of our company.

From the outset and well before we were awarded our first fair trade label (Max Havelaar in 2001), our business relationships were based on a shared desire to work together on fair, ethical and sustainable projects.

Fair pay, pre-funding, transparency and reciprocal exchange are all requirements that aim to make producers more independent and help them to plan and expand.

Arlette Rohmer believes that “Man’s exploitation by man is not an inevitability. Developing harmonious commercial relationships based on mutual respect is a fundamental value that we do not compromise on. It means that we have to put in greater effort and be more patient, but it’s worth fighting for.”

At Les Jardins de Gaïa, we are convinced that we owe our success to the close ties that connect us to the producers. We work hand in hand over many years, know each other personally and connect regularly when we visit their plantations.

The exact specifications of the labels we have adopted for particular partnerships are excellent measuring tools. We can rely on them to improve and develop producers’ plans as well as our own commercial practices.

One example worth mentioning are the requirements in economic terms of managing the fair trade premium. They help to facilitate a group process that values exchange, proactivity and democracy.

We always go the extra mile with regards to labelling standards. At Les Jardins de Gaïa we have our own in-house specifications that provide a clear framework for us to achieve our aims and objectives.

Our customers should not consider these labels as mere “claims” but instead as a minimum guarantee of the integrity of our supply chain.

The Max Havelaar label, for example, is a valuable tool that for us goes hand in hand with a genuine desire to bring positive change to the world and move towards greater equity. It helps us all to make progress together. The labels are not ends in themselves but a way to effect positive change.

Today, 70% of our teas are guaranteed fair trade, a fact that benefits our thirty partner projects around the world.

Some of our producers travelled to France to celebrate our 20th anniversary with us. We invite you to watch their testimonials and to let them tell you in their own words what fair trade means to them. (these videos are available on our YouTube channel).

20 years later, we remain inspired to continue along this path that has more than proven its worthiness. Changing expectations demand that we continue to evolve and improve in all our partner countries.

In addition to these labelling systems we have also been involved for a number of years at both local and national levels in alliances to promote fair trade. We are the administrators of the Fair Trade Platform (www.commercequitable.org) and a member of the Executive Board of COLECOSOL (www.colecosol.fr ).