Looking for brands that grow tea in an ethical and sustainable manner? Read about these fair trade tea companies and feel good about your purchase.
There’s nothing like a hot cup of tea to kick-start your day or keep you warm on a cold night. Tea is the most popular beverage in the world, next to water. But in countries such as India and Uganda, children are known to work eight hours a day without a break, plucking leaves and carrying loads of up to 30kg. They suffer from back problems, chest infections, skin diseases, cuts and bruises. Tea plantations are large, and when girls work away from their parents, they become vulnerable to sexual harassment.
Fair trade tea ensures that health and safety standards are observed and wages are fair and regulated for adults, so children don’t have to work. What’s more, investment goes back into tea-growing communities.
Thankfully, there are brands that are Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance certified. They’re brands that hold themselves to a higher standard, guaranteeing that workers are paid a living wage throughout the tea-making process, and that tea is grown in a sustainable way. So, if you’re looking for a cuppa that makes you feel good on the inside, look no further. These brands are paving the way for tasty, ethically-grown teas.
FairTrade Certified
Bridgehead helps make the world a better place by paying farmers and workers in developing countries a fair price. They also offer high quality, Fairtrade Certified coffee, sugar, and chocolate bars.
Purchase Bridgehead tea online
FairTrade Certified
Camellia Sinensis teas empower farmers and workers to have control over their futures and protect the environment in which they live and work. Now you can feel good about your purchase.
Purchase Camellia Senensis tea online
FairTrade Certified
Clipper pays a Fair Trade Premium to farmers and workers so they can invest in any projects they choose, helping to improve standards in education, health, and housing.
Purchase Clipper Teas online
FairTrade Certified
One of Four O'Clock's core values is respect - respect for the planet and for individual communities. Four O'Clock offers a wide range of Fairtrade teas that are also organic and GMO free.
Purchase Four O'Clock teas online
FairTrade Certified
To Just US!, fair trade is more than a just price; it's about social justice and improving the lives of workers from farms or roasters, restaurants and cafés. Just Us! also offers a full selection of fair trade and organic coffees, chocolate, and sugar.
Purchase Just Us Coffee! teas online
Rainforest Alliance Certified
Lipton believes in leading the way in sustainable tea sourcing and making a significant positive impact on communities and the environment.
Purchase Lipton teas online or in your local grocery store.
FairTrade Certified
Not only is Numi a lead purchaser of Fair Trade certified tea, they’ve developed their own certification where Fair Trade is prohibited, called Fair Labor Verification. With Numi, you can change the world, one sip at a time.
Purchase Numi Tea online
FairTrade Certified
Organic Garden endorses fair trade principles by transferring a portion of the value of the work force that produces their organic products, to enhance their socio-economic needs.
Purchase Organic Garden tea online
Rainforest Alliance Certified
Red Rose grows their tea with the utmost respect for the local environment and is committed to sustainable agricultural practices.
Purchase Red Rose tea online or at your local grocery store.
Rainforest Alliance Certified
Salada makes every effort to ensure that the tea they purchase comes from a reputable source and is purchased in a socially responsible manner.
FairTrade Certified
By donating a portion of their sales and paying a premium for their ingredients, Tega Teas supports the wages of tea farmers. Those farmers are also provided with affordable housing options, as well as equal opportunities in their trade.
Purhase Tega Teas online
FairTrade Certified
Traditional Medicinals, Inc. is an independent company that embraces sustainability, ingredient purity, and social and environmental activism.
Where to buy Traditional Medicinals teas
FairTrade Certified
Pluck goes beyond fair trade regulations and provides housing, vegetable gardens, food subsidies, and schools for the children of tea workers.
Purchase Pluck Teas online