Over nearly 28 years Fair Trade USA™ and our partners have helped build one of the world’s leading market-based movements for responsible sourcing and shared prosperity. Today, Fair Trade Certified helps generate more than $84 million annually in Community Development Funds, benefiting over 1.2 million farmers, workers, and fishers through more than 1,000 producer organizations across 52 countries.
Together, we have demonstrated that business can be a powerful force for improving lives, strengthening communities, and protecting our planet.
Fair Trade Certification is the foundation of our work. Contributing to the growth and impact of the Fair Trade movement is our larger purpose.
Following Paul Rice’s departure in 2024, Felipe Arango, then Chief Operating Officer, stepped into the role of Chief Executive Officer and has led Fair Trade USA through an important period of transition. Over his more than 25 years in the Fair Trade movement, Felipe has been an exceptional advocate for Fair Trade and a powerful voice for farmers, fishers, workers, and producer communities around the world.
Working closely with the Board and leadership team as CEO, Felipe has helped strengthen the organization and sharpen our strategic focus. Together, the Board and Felipe have recognized that the next stage of our journey calls for expanding our leadership capacity while continuing to build upon this strong foundation. We believe Fair Trade Certified has an extraordinary opportunity to substantially expand its reach and impact. Building on our strong foundation, we are expanding our leadership and organizational capabilities to help realize that potential.
Our ambition is to build a stronger Fair Trade Certified – engaging more consumers who understand, trust, seek out, purchase, and advocate for Fair Trade Certified products, creating greater value and demand for our brand and retail partners, and substantially expanding the impact we create together for producers and workers.
To help realize that ambition, in partnership with our Board, we have begun a search for a Chief Executive Officer who will build upon Fair Trade USA’s strengths while helping us deepen consumer engagement, strengthen the value we create with our business partners, and build the organizational capabilities needed to substantially expand our market reach and impact.
Felipe will continue serving as Chief Executive Officer throughout the search. Following the appointment of our new CEO, he will continue in a senior leadership role focused on Impact, where his decades of experience, deep producer relationships, and commitment to Fair Trade’s mission will continue to strengthen our work around the world.
Together, we have accomplished a great deal. And we believe we can accomplish even more.
We are grateful for the leadership that Felipe has brought and to be able to continue working with him, the leadership team, and all of the staff who work their hardest day in and day out to deliver on our mission. Thank you to all of our partners who have helped grow and expand our movement and to everyone who shops their values and chooses Fair Trade Certified. We are excited for the future, and we look forward to building what comes next together.
About Fair Trade USA
Fair Trade USA, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the leading certifier of Fair Trade products in North America. Its award-winning, rigorous, and globally recognized sustainable sourcing certification programs improve livelihoods, protect the environment, and build resilient, transparent supply chains. The trusted Fair Trade Certified™ label on a product signifies that it was made according to stringent Fair Trade standards. Fair Trade USA is building an innovative model of responsible business, conscious consumerism, and shared value to eliminate poverty and enable sustainable development for farmers, workers, their families, and communities around the world.