Trade Aid
Trade Aid is a New Zealand-based fair trade social enterprise that imports and retails certified fair trade and organic coffee, tea, chocolate, baking ingredients, and artisan crafts from 500,000+ producers worldwide through retail stores, e-commerce, and wholesale channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersChristchurch, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Trade Aid does
Trade Aid Importers Ltd. is a privately-held New Zealand fair trade social enterprise founded in 1973 by Vi and Richard Cottrell, headquartered in Christchurch. The company imports, manufactures, and retails certified fair trade and organic food (coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, rice, spices) as well as artisan crafts (handmade soap, hand woven baskets), and supports 500,000+ small-scale producers and farmers in vulnerable communities across coffee, tea, sugar, and artisan cooperatives in Latin America, Africa, and South Asia. Trade Aid holds WFTO Guaranteed Member status, which verifies organizational compliance with all 10 principles of fair trade throughout the supply chain, alongside organic certifications by Assure Quality and TÜV Austria compostability certifications.
Trade Aid operates through three distribution channels: 25 retail stores across New Zealand (currently in progressive closure as of 2024), a nationwide e-commerce site at tradeaid.org.nz shipping freight-free above NZD $100, and wholesale supply to other retailers and food-service operators. The company owns and operates the Sweet Justice Chocolate Factory in Christchurch for in-house production of branded 100g chocolate bars and confectionery sticks. Pricing is unit-based with standard shipping rates (NZD $7.50 flat under $100 retail; tiered freight for wholesale) and New Zealand is the sole operating geography.
Revenue mechanics combine direct-to-consumer retail and e-commerce, wholesale distribution to SMB and enterprise customers (including L'affare), and branded manufacturing through Sweet Justice. The company is sustained by consumer sales, a large volunteer community, advocacy partnerships (notably with World Vision New Zealand), and certifications rather than external capital — there are no funding rounds, no parent company, and no institutional investors. Strategic priorities are currently oriented toward long-term organizational viability via retail restructuring, vertical integration into chocolate manufacturing, and advocacy for a New Zealand Modern Slavery Act that was co-sponsored and lodged in Parliament in February 2026.
Trade Aid firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Trade Aid
- Legal name
- Trade Aid Importers Ltd.
- Website
- https://tradeaid.org.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Trade Aid is a New Zealand-based fair trade social enterprise that imports and retails certified fair trade and organic coffee, tea, chocolate, baking ingredients, and artisan crafts from 500,000+ producers worldwide through retail stores, e-commerce, and wholesale channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Trade Aid industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fair Trade Food and Crafts
- NAICS
- Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (424), Food and Beverage Retailers (445), Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing (31135)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL), Import/Export & Cross-Border Food Commodity Trading (AFAIAKAL), Organic & Natural Foods Import/Export & Global Trading (AFAIAJAK)
Keywords
Where Trade Aid is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Christchurch
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
Trade Aid business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Sales: Trade Aid operates 25 retail stores nationwide selling fair trade products directly to consumers, including coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, rice, spices, and handmade crafts.
- Wholesale Distribution: Trade Aid supplies fair trade products to other retailers and businesses through wholesale channels, including food products and crafts.
- E-commerce/Online Sales: Online store delivers products directly to consumers throughout New Zealand with various shipping options including freight-free for orders over $100.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Retail orders over $100 ship freight free |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Retail orders under $100 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wholesale orders under $150 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wholesale orders over $150 |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Trade Aid product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Trade Aid is a New Zealand fair trade social enterprise that imports, manufactures and retails certified organic and fair trade food products (coffee, tea, drinking chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, rice, spices) and handmade crafts from small-scale producer cooperatives around the world. The company also manufactures its own chocolate products at the Sweet Justice Chocolate Factory in Christchurch, and distributes through 25 retail stores, an e-commerce website and wholesale channels within New Zealand.
Product overview
Trade Aid is a fair trade social enterprise offering a curated portfolio of fair trade and organic food and craft products. The core product line centres on food and beverage categories: coffee (available as beans, ground, and instant), tea (in bags and loose leaf), drinking chocolate, and baking ingredients including cocoa powder, sugar, rice, and spices. The company also produces its own chocolate products at the Sweet Justice Chocolate Factory in Christchurch, NZ, including chocolate bars and chocolate sticks in various flavours. Complementary categories include handmade soap and hand woven baskets. All products are fair trade certified, many are organic certified, and the company emphasises sustainable packaging including compostable materials.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sweet Justice Chocolate Factory: Chocolate manufacturing facility in Christchurch, New Zealand producing organic fair trade chocolate products.
Products and services
- Coffee Fair trade and organic coffee available in ground, bean and instant formats, sourced from cooperatives in Ethiopia, Colombia, Mexico, Congo, Guatemala, Honduras and other coffee-growing regions. Targeted at ethical consumers and wholesale buyers such as cafes.
- Tea Organic and fair trade tea range including English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Masala Chai, Green Tea and Rooibos tea, available in 50 and 100 tea bag boxes and loose leaf formats. Tea bags are 100% plant-based and certified compostable.
- Drinking Chocolate 100% organic and fair trade drinking chocolate powder sold as a specialty staple product across Trade Aid retail, online and wholesale channels.
- Organic Cocoa Powder Dutch-processed organic cocoa powder alkalized for deep colour and chocolate flavour. Certified organic by Assure Quality and Vegan Certified by the NZ Vegetarian Society. Milled from cocoa beans grown in Dominican Republic and Peru, packaged in home compostable materials.
- Sugar Fair trade sugar sourced from Manduvira, a farmer-owned cooperative in southern Paraguay. Sold through Trade Aid retail stores, online and wholesale.
- Rice Wholegrain fair trade jasmine rice sold through Trade Aid retail, online and wholesale channels.
- Spices Fair trade spices for cooking and baking, sold through Trade Aid retail, online and wholesale channels.
- Handmade Soap Handmade artisan soaps in fragrances including Neem, Lemongrass, Rose, Jasmine, Sandalwood and Cinnamon, made by Palam Rural artisans in Southern India. Cruelty-free, palm-oil-free formula with moisture-rich lather.
- Hand Woven Baskets Hand woven baskets crafted by artisan producer partners, sold under Trade Aid's furniture and storage category.
- Chocolate Sticks Confectionery chocolate sticks in Dark Chocolate Mint and Milk Chocolate Orange varieties. Each stick is 8g, made at the Sweet Justice Chocolate Factory in Christchurch, New Zealand, with fully compostable packaging.
- 100g Chocolate Range New Zealand-made fair trade chocolate bars in 100g format, including Lemon Crunch Milk Chocolate. Produced at the Sweet Justice Chocolate Factory using Dominican Republic, Peru and Paraguay sourced ingredients, certified organic with compostable packaging.
Quantifiable outcome
- Supporting 500,000+ artisans and food producers in vulnerable communities worldwide
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Trade Aid
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Trade Aid technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature1 record
Trade Aid partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO)coreTrade Aid is a Guaranteed Member of the WFTO, the first international fair trade system that verifies organisations' compliance with all 10 principles of fair trade. This accreditation ensures fair trade is implemented throughout the supply chain and in organizational practices.
- World Vision New ZealandcoreJoint campaign partners in the Sign for Freedom initiative calling for Modern Slavery Act legislation in New Zealand. Together they collected 37,000+ petition signatures and presented to Parliament.
- Tea Promoters India (TPI)corePartnership since 2014 with Darjeeling-based family operation pioneering environmental and social reform in tea industry. TPI supports small tea farmers by helping them gain access to international markets and fair prices through collaborative farming models.
- Oromia Coffee Farmers' Cooperative Union (OCFCU)coreCooperative union representing more than 450,000 coffee farmers throughout Ethiopia. Farmers have benefited from stronger voice and higher prices. They invest in education and health clinics for communities.
- Sidama Coffee Farmers' Cooperative UnioncoreUmbrella organization uniting 53 primary societies including Shanta Golba. Using fair trade social premiums to invest in schools, roading, electricity infrastructure, flour mills, and warehouses.
- CENCOICcoreIndigenous coffee cooperative in Valle de Cauca, Colombia. Membership consists entirely of Nasa, Coconuco and Yanacona peoples. Focused on protecting indigenous rights and providing collective income opportunities through fair trade coffee.
- SOPACDIcoreFarmer Solidarity for Promotion of Coffee and Integral Development in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Built coffee nurseries, offices, cupping lab, and washing stations. Offers farmers access to education on soil erosion, organic composting, and mulching.
- COMSAcoreCoffee cooperative from Honduras providing natural process coffee with spicy, ripe fruit flavours. Part of Trade Aid's Midwinter Blend.
- Guaya'bcoreCoffee cooperative from Guatemala providing sweet and bright acidity. Part of Trade Aid's Midwinter Blend.
- ANEI CoffeecoreCoffee supplier from Colombia working with Trade Aid for over 20 years. Featured in sailboat shipping initiative using wind power for sustainable transport.
- ManduviracoreFarmer-owned co-operative in southern Paraguay providing fair trade sugar to Trade Aid.
- Palam RuralcoreEmpowered group of artisans in Southern India who have achieved economic independence through fair trade. Their work on equality in housing and education has reduced caste discrimination.
- Walk FreeminorPartner in Modern Slavery Act advocacy campaigns, contributing research and resources on modern slavery issues in New Zealand.
- fair&goodminorKiwi ethical marketplace directory featuring over 50 ethical brands including Trade Aid, making ethical shopping easy for consumers.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Trade Aid competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Higher Ground Roasters: New Zealand-based specialty and fair trade coffee roaster selling beans and ground coffee domestically — overlaps with Trade Aid's NZ coffee retail and wholesale offering as a country-level competitor with similar sourcing ethics.
- Whittaker's: Iconic New Zealand chocolate manufacturer with strong domestic retail presence across mainstream and premium SKUs — competes directly with Trade Aid's Sweet Justice Chocolate Factory in NZ chocolate aisles at significantly larger scale.
Direct peers
- Equal Exchange: US fair trade cooperative specializing in coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa and bananas sourced from small farmer cooperatives — closely mirrors Trade Aid's product mix, small-producer sourcing model and worker/cooperative ownership structure.
- Fairtrade Original: Netherlands-based fair trade food and craft brand selling coffee, tea, chocolate and home goods via retail and wholesale under Fairtrade labeling — directly comparable product breadth and EU-market fair trade retail model.
- Cafedirect: UK-based fair trade coffee and tea company owned by producer cooperatives, selling via grocery, foodservice and online channels — directly comparable to Trade Aid's coffee/tea wholesale-and-retail model and cooperative-sourcing approach.
- Tony's Chocolonely: Mission-led chocolate brand focused on slave-free, fair trade cocoa sourcing with strong advocacy positioning — comparable to Trade Aid's fair-trade chocolate manufacturing and modern-slavery advocacy framing.
- Divine Chocolate: Fair trade chocolate brand co-owned by Kuapa Kokoo cocoa cooperative in Ghana; comparable to Trade Aid's own Sweet Justice Chocolate Factory and cooperative-sourced chocolate bars in mission, sourcing and distribution through retail and wholesale.
- Alter Eco: Fair trade food brand selling chocolate, coffee, quinoa and pantry staples sourced from small farmer cooperatives, distributed via retail and online — closely aligned to Trade Aid's fair-trade multi-product grocery portfolio.
Emerging players
- La Colombe: Specialty coffee roaster and café operator with ethically-sourced coffee products across retail and wholesale — comparable in product category and channel mix to Trade Aid's coffee line, though without an equivalent fair trade accreditation moat.
Broad incumbents
- Rapunzel: Established European organic and fair trade food company with a deep, multi-decade cooperative supply network across coffee, cocoa and specialty foods — analogous to Trade Aid's mission but operating at considerably larger scale and product breadth.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Trade Aid social profiles
Digital presenceTrade Aid compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Trade Aid financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Trade Aid leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Trade Aid subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Trade Aid funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Trade Aid 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 Trade Aid
What does Trade Aid do?
Trade Aid is a New Zealand fair trade social enterprise that imports, manufactures and retails certified organic and fair trade food products (coffee, tea, drinking chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, rice, spices) and handmade crafts from small-scale producer cooperatives around the world. The company also manufactures its own chocolate products at the Sweet Justice Chocolate Factory in Christchurch, and distributes through 25 retail stores, an e-commerce website and wholesale channels within New Zealand.
Is Trade Aid a public or private company?
Trade Aid is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Trade Aid founded?
Trade Aid was founded in 1973. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Trade Aid based?
Trade Aid is headquartered in Christchurch, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Trade Aid make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Distribution and E-commerce/Online Sales.
Who are Trade Aid's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Higher Ground Roasters and Whittaker's. Direct peers are Equal Exchange, Fairtrade Original, Cafedirect, Tony's Chocolonely, Divine Chocolate and Alter Eco. La Colombe is listed as an emerging player. Rapunzel is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Trade Aid have an API?
No public API is recorded for Trade Aid.
What industry is Trade Aid in?
Trade Aid's product category is Fair Trade Food and Crafts. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIAKAD, Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale, with a secondary code of BPAGALAL, Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support). Its NAICS code is 424 and its SIC code is 5140.