Fair Trade across Freret and beyond

Fair Trade certified products are items that (in their simplest form) are guaranteed to have paid the people who produced them a fair wage.

While there are tons of places to buy fair trade products online, a few stores are right in New Orleans for your shopping convenience. Whole Foods has a few things, but here's a few more you might not have heard about:

InExchange
Tulane University
Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life
http://www.inexchange.org

A new store in Tulane's LBC (student center) sells exclusively fair trade products and local art. The founder, Erica Trani, is a Tulane alumna and is active in the justice groups of both Tulane and Loyola Universities. Trani drew upon her experiences working with artisans and growers in Ecuador as well as selling handmade jewelry made by independent artists at a French Quarter store. InExchange carries chocolates, coffee from Cafe Justo (starting March 2008), jewelry, rugs, ceramics, glasswork, textiles, reusable shopping bags and so much more. The inventory changes quickly, so check often.

Blue Frog Chocolates
5707 Magazine Street
http://www.bluefrogchocolates.com/

This candy store sells several kinds of fair trade chocolate as well as lots of locally made candy. Not everything is fair trade, but its still a delicious stop.

Fair Grinds Coffeehouse
3133 Ponce de Leon
http://www.fairgrinds.com

By far my favorite coffee house in New Orleans. Its located in the Mid City/Fair Grounds area. All coffee used is locally roasted by Orleans Coffee Exchange and 100% fair trade. Their cold drink cups are made from biodegradable corn plastic. Fair Grinds also hosts some cool community events such as a recent series relating sustainability to spirituality. This is the kind of coffee shop you want to live next to.