educate them on fair trade and organic principles, select village coordinators
and negotiate a fair price for the oil. The same year, Abufarha founded the
company Canaan Fair Trade and by 2005, he began exporting the olive oil to
co-ops, churches and nonprofit organizations in the United States and
Canada—doubling the farmers’ income per kilo in just one year.
It was during this same time that Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, one of the first
organic personal care companies, set a goal to convert all its products to at least
95 percent certified fair trade. Searching the internet for suppliers, there was only
one that came up—Canaan Fair Trade. It was not certified organic, or even certified fair trade at that point, but the two companies shared the same vision. To support the project’s fair trade, sustainable farming and peaceful co-existence efforts,
Dr. Bronner’s paid for Canaan’s organic and fair trade certification and was one of
the first major clients to buy its olive oil at a fair trade and organic premium.
This is not just an economic
project, it’s a social and cultural project. It’s empowering
for these people to see that
their product is now reaching
The organic and fair trade certifications, along with the support from several
other business partners and grants, helped Abufarha open the doors to a much
bigger market, and today Canaan Fair Trade works with over 1,700 farmers and
exports close to $6 million worth of olive oil a year—making it the largest exporter of olive oil in the West Bank. The company now offers over 20 products
in over 16 countries—ranging from olive oil, jarred olives and sun-dried tomatoes to almonds and hand-rolled couscous, which just landed shelf space in
Williams-Sonoma high-end kitchen stores throughout the United States.
Meanwhile, Dr. Bronner’s has gone on to help several other operations
throughout the world gain fair trade and/or organic certification and has met
its goal of having all of its major ingredients certified fair trade.
Going beyond providing a better economic situation for farmers, both
Canaan Fair Trade and Dr. Bronner’s different, yet symbiotic, business models
powerfully demonstrate that in working together toward a common good, businesses can create positive solutions to support peaceful, sustainable change in
the world.
the world with their story. Mahmoud Issa, Canaan Fair Trade Farmer and President of
the PFTA
Developing Fair Trade Under Siege
When Abufarha first came to Palestine to set up PFTA in 2004, he started
with eight members. By the end of 2004, they had formed 12 cooperatives, with
220 farmers who were willing to adhere to the association’s standards. But this
was no easy task. Drivers going from village to village would have to call ahead
to find out where the army checkpoints
were. There were times when Abufarha
himself was forced at gunpoint to lie
down on the ground while they
searched the vehicle. Barricades
blocked access to water sources. Often-
times they would end up collecting oil
at night because of roadblocks and
search conditions. Anyone leaving a vil-
lage to do anything was taking a risk. It
was a far cry from his life in Wisconsin.
Certification—The Key to
New Markets
While Abufarha had insisted on
both fair trade and organic practices
from the beginning, he didn’t have the
