Fairtrade History
1988: Launch of the first Fairtrade label, Max Havelaar, under the initiative of the Dutch development agency Solidaridad. The first ‘Fairtrade’ coffee from Mexico was sold into Dutch supermarkets. It was branded “Max Havelaar,” after a fictional Dutch character who opposed the exploitation of coffee pickers in Dutch colonies.
Late 80s/early 90s: The Max Havelaar initiative is replicated in several other markets across Europe and North America “Max Havelaar” (in Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and France), “Transfair” (in Germany, Austria, Luxemburg, Italy, the United States, Canada and Japan), “Fairtrade Mark” in the UK and Ireland, “Rättvisemärkt” in Sweden, and “Reilu Kauppa” in Finland.
1997: Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) was established in Bonn, Germany to unite Labelling Initiatives under one umbrella and establish worldwide standards and certification.
1998: Four major fair trade networks form an international umbrella organisation: FINE (FLO, IFAT, NEWS!, EFTA).
2002: FLO launches a new International Fairtrade Certification Mark. The goals of the launch were to improve the visibility of the Mark on supermarket shelves, facilitate cross border trade and simplify export procedures for both producers and exporters.
2003: Global sales of Fairtrade products reach a record $500 million.
2004: FLO splits into two independent organisations: FLO International, which sets Fairtrade standards and provides producer business support, and FLO-CERT, which inspects and certifies producer organisations and audits traders.
2007: 21 Labelling Initiatives are members of FLO International. New additions include Mexico and Australia/New Zealand.
2008: Producer networks became members of FLO.
Fairtrade Africa History
1998: Representatives from fair trade producers in Eastern and Central Africa feel that African fair trade partners could increase their influence if they forged unity in an organisational partnership. They meet annually and begin to explore how to form a network in Africa.
2004: At their 4th assembly in Addis Ababa Ethiopia in March 2004, producers agree that the network should cover the whole of Africa. The idea is to establish strong communication between FLO certified producers and fair trade stakeholders in Africa and elsewhere for a better voice in the international fair trade movement.
2005: The Africa Fairtrade Network (AFN) is established. The AFN is registered in Tanzania as a not for profit association of producers, workers and traders in Africa.
2006: The first members meeting is held in Moshi, Tanzania. Among the many issues discussed is a call for greater representation from producers in FLO governance structures. Two regional networks are established, EAFN and WAFN.
2007: Comic Relief starts supporting the AFN through the Fairtrade for Development in Africa project. A regional network is established in Southern Africa (SAFN). The FLO constitution recognises producer networks as stakeholders of Fairtrade.
2009: Regional co-ordinators are employed in Southern and Western Africa. A workshop is held in Cape Town, South Africa with FLO standards unit and AFN staff are trained on FLO standards in Bonn, Germany.
2010: A permanent AFN executive director is appointed. In May, a new head office in Nairobi, Kenya is opened and AFN is renamed Fairtrade Africa.