Fair Trade USA
Fair Trade USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit third-party certifier, founded in 1998, that licenses the Fair Trade Certified label to brands and retailers and certifies producers across 52 countries, serving 1,500+ brand partners and 1.6 million producers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Fair Trade USA does
Fair Trade USA (legal entity: TransFair, dba Fair Trade USA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1998 and headquartered in Oakland, California. It operates as a third-party certification body that verifies products across six categories—coffee, produce, floral, seafood, factory/manufactured goods, and consumer packaged goods—against rigorous fair trade standards covering worker welfare, environmental protection, and price floors. The organization serves three primary stakeholder groups: brands and traders (who pay licensing fees to use the Fair Trade Certified seal), retailers (who distribute certified products), and producers (farmers, fishers, and factory workers in developing countries who pay certification fees and receive Community Development Funds and guaranteed minimum prices).
The organization's core technology includes an Insights Hub built on AWS infrastructure (Redshift, S3, Glue) in partnership with CDW, consolidating multi-source supply chain data and reducing reporting cycles from months to minutes. Fair Trade USA is also participating in Salesforce's Agents for Impact accelerator to develop AI agents for regenerative agriculture coaching. The organization works with 1,500+ brand and retail partners and 1.6 million producer partners across 52 countries, with cumulative producer financial benefits of $1.3 billion ($81 million in 2024 alone). Revenue is generated through brand and trader licensing fees, producer certification fees, and philanthropic donations.
Fair Trade USA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fair Trade USA
- Legal name
- TransFair (dba Fair Trade USA)
- Website
- https://fairtradeusa.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Fair Trade USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit third-party certifier, founded in 1998, that licenses the Fair Trade Certified label to brands and retailers and certifies producers across 52 countries, serving 1,500+ brand partners and 1.6 million producers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fair Trade USA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainability Certification Services
- NAICS
- Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers (4245)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing Certification Services (AFALAMAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL), Trade Compliance, Standards & Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT/SPS) (BPADAMAK)
Keywords
Where Fair Trade USA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Fair Trade USA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Brand and Trader Licensing: Brands and traders pay licensing fees to use the Fair Trade Certified label on their products. This is an annual recurring licensing model based on product volume or brand tier.
- Producer Certification: Producers (farmers, fishers, factories) pay certification fees for third-party verification and auditing services against Fair Trade standards.
- Donations and Philanthropy: Individual donors contribute to support producer support programs. Fair Trade USA is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with Tax ID: 41-1848081. Every $1 invested creates $4 in economic returns for farmers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Fair Trade USA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fair Trade USA operates the Fair Trade Certified program, a third-party certification model that verifies products meet rigorous fair trade standards across categories including coffee, factory/apparel, floral, produce, consumer packaged goods, and seafood. Brands and traders pay licensing fees to use the Fair Trade Certified seal on qualifying products, while producers (farmers, fishers, factory workers) undergo certification audits to access premium markets and Community Development Funds.
Product overview
Fair Trade USA operates the Fair Trade Certified program, a third-party certification model that verifies products meet rigorous fair trade standards. The company certifies products across multiple categories including Coffee, Factory (apparel/textiles), Floral, Produce, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), and Seafood. Brands and retailers obtain licensing rights to use the Fair Trade Certified seal on qualifying products, with producers receiving Community Development Funds. The company also developed an internal Insights Hub on AWS for data consolidation and reporting purposes. The certification model provides guaranteed minimum prices for farmers, safe working conditions, elimination of forced/child labor, and environmental protections across global supply chains spanning countries including Ethiopia and Indonesia.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fair Trade Certified Program A third-party certification program that verifies products meet rigorous fair trade standards, providing brands and retailers with licensing rights to use the Fair Trade Certified seal on qualifying products across multiple categories.
- Fair Trade Certified Coffee Certification category covering coffee products sourced from certified producers, ensuring fair prices, safe working conditions, and Community Development Funds for coffee farmers.
- Fair Trade Certified Factory Certification for factory workers ensuring fair wages, safe conditions, and elimination of forced or child labor in manufacturing facilities producing apparel and other factory-made goods.
- Fair Trade Certified Floral Certification program for cut flower and ornamental plant producers, ensuring fair treatment of workers and environmental protections across floral supply chains.
- Fair Trade Certified Produce Certification category for fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products, ensuring fair compensation and sustainable farming practices for farm workers.
- Fair Trade Certified Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Certification covering packaged consumer goods including chocolate, tea, sugar, and other household items meeting fair trade standards.
- Fair Trade Certified Seafood Certification program for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, ensuring responsible fishing practices and fair treatment of fishers and workers in the seafood supply chain.
- Brand and Trader Licensing Annual recurring licensing program allowing brands and traders to use the Fair Trade Certified label on products meeting fair trade standards, with licensing fees based on product volume or brand tier.
- Producer Certification Third-party certification and auditing services for farmers, fishers, and factory workers against Fair Trade standards, providing access to Fair Trade Premium, Community Development Funds, and premium markets.
Quantifiable outcome
- Every $1 invested creates $4 in economic returns for farmers, fishers, and workers
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Fair Trade USA
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Fair Trade USA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Fair Trade USA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- BlueyouflagshipBlueyou launched a Fair Trade Certified tuna program in the Maldives with Fair Trade USA certification, aiming to benefit around 30,000 people and expand market access in Europe and North America while promoting marine conservation.
- CDWcoreCDW helped Fair Trade USA build an Insights Hub on AWS using Redshift, S3, and Glue services to consolidate data from multiple sources, reducing manual reporting from months to minutes across global supply chain certification programs.
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreCloud infrastructure provider for Fair Trade USA's Insights Hub data platform, enabling AI-powered analytics for global supply chain certification operations spanning Ethiopia and Indonesia.
- SalesforcecoreFair Trade USA is one of six nonprofit participants in Salesforce's Accelerator – Agents for Impact program, using Salesforce's Agentforce AI platform to develop tools for regenerative agriculture coaching and sustainable sourcing initiatives.
- AmazoncoreMajor retailer channel partner offering Fair Trade Certified products through Amazon's specialty fair trade storefront
- KrogercoreRetail partner through Kroger's Simple Truth brand featuring Fair Trade Certified products
- Sam's ClubcoreRetail partner offering Fair Trade Certified products through Sam's Club locations and online
- TargetcoreRetail partner offering Fair Trade Certified products through Target stores and online
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Fair Trade USA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fairtrade International: Fairtrade International (with its certification arm FLO-CERT) is the largest global fair trade certification system, operating in more than 70 countries. It is the most directly comparable peer to Fair Trade USA, using a similar producer-fee and license-fee model and the Fairtrade mark.
- UTZ (now part of Rainforest Alliance): UTZ was historically the leading certification program for sustainable coffee and cocoa, now merged into Rainforest Alliance. It is directly comparable to Fair Trade USA in the same product categories, label-on-pack model, and producer-fee economics.
- IMO Control (Kiwa): IMO Control is a global third-party certifier for organic and fair-trade products across food, textiles, and cosmetics. It is directly comparable to Fair Trade USA in business model — producer certification and license-based labeling — and overlapping category scope.
- Control Union: Control Union is a global certification body operating across organic, fair-trade, sustainability, and textile standards. It directly competes with Fair Trade USA in third-party certification services and producer-audit economics across global supply chains.
- Ecocert: Ecocert is a France-based certification body specializing in organic, fair trade, and sustainable products across food, cosmetics, and textiles. It is a direct comparable peer with similar third-party certification and label economics.
- B Lab (B Corporation): B Lab certifies B Corporations on social and environmental performance, operating a global certification program with similar brand-license and fee-based revenue model. While not strictly fair-trade, it competes for the same 'ethical brand' shelf space and ESG procurement dollars as Fair Trade USA.
- SCS Global Services: SCS Global Services is a third-party certifier covering sustainability, organic, fair trade, and food-safety standards. It is a direct comparable peer providing parallel audit and label-licensing services to brands and retailers in overlapping product categories.
Broad incumbents
- Rainforest Alliance: Rainforest Alliance is a broader sustainability certification program (merged with UTZ in 2018) covering coffee, cocoa, tea, and other commodities. It overlaps directly with Fair Trade USA in coffee/cocoa but extends into biodiversity and climate outcomes rather than focusing solely on fair-trade economics.
Emerging players
- Fair Trade Federation: Fair Trade Federation is a membership-based trade association for fair trade businesses, focused on North American retailers and importers rather than producer certification. It is an adjacent peer that competes for mind-share in the fair-trade category but operates a different membership rather than license-fee model.
Regional players
- Better Cotton Initiative: Better Cotton Initiative is a multi-stakeholder sustainability standard for cotton production, operating globally but not in the U.S. market. It is an adjacent peer in fair-trade-style apparel certification, with a mass-balance model that competes with Fair Trade USA's Factory certification in apparel and textiles.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fair Trade USA social profiles
Digital presenceFair Trade USA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fair Trade USA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Fair Trade USA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fair Trade USA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fair Trade USA
What does Fair Trade USA do?
Fair Trade USA operates the Fair Trade Certified program, a third-party certification model that verifies products meet rigorous fair trade standards across categories including coffee, factory/apparel, floral, produce, consumer packaged goods, and seafood. Brands and traders pay licensing fees to use the Fair Trade Certified seal on qualifying products, while producers (farmers, fishers, factory workers) undergo certification audits to access premium markets and Community Development Funds.
Is Fair Trade USA a public or private company?
Fair Trade USA is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Fair Trade USA founded?
Fair Trade USA was founded in 1998. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Fair Trade USA based?
Fair Trade USA is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Fair Trade USA make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Brand and Trader Licensing is the primary driver. The others are producer Certification and donations and Philanthropy.
Who are Fair Trade USA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fairtrade International, UTZ (now part of Rainforest Alliance), IMO Control (Kiwa), Control Union, Ecocert, B Lab (B Corporation) and SCS Global Services. Rainforest Alliance is listed as a broad incumbent. Fair Trade Federation is listed as an emerging player. Better Cotton Initiative is listed as a regional player.
Does Fair Trade USA have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fair Trade USA.
What industry is Fair Trade USA in?
Fair Trade USA's product category is Sustainability Certification Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFALAMAD, Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing Certification Services, with a secondary code of BPAGALAL, Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support). Its NAICS code is 4245 and its SIC code is 5150.