GEPA - The Fair Trade Company
Type	Non-profit organization
Founded	May 14, 1975
Headquarters	Wuppertal, Germany
Industry	Fair trade
Products	Coffee, Tea, Cocoa,Handicraft, Honey, Nuts, Rice, Wine, Sports Balls, Jewellery, Textiles etc.
Revenue	45.3 million EUR (2005)
Employees	~100 (2004)
Website	www.gepa.de

The GEPA is Europe's largest alternative trading organization. The abbreviation GEPA³ stands for "Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Partnerschaft mit der Dritten Welt mbH“, literally meaning "Society for the Promotion of Partnership with the Third World". A nonprofit organization (abbreviated NPO, or non-profit or not-for-profit) is an organization whose primary objective is to support an issue or matter of private interest or public concern for non-commercial purposes. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Wuppertal university Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Certified Fair trade quinoa producers in Ecuador. ... A cup of coffee Coffee is a widely consumed beverage prepared from the roasted seeds—commonly referred to as beans—of the coffee plant. ... Tea leaves in a Chinese gaiwan. ... Cocoa beans in a cacao pod Cocoa is the dried and partially fermented fatty seed of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Applied art. ... A jar of honey, shown with a wooden honey server and scones. ... Hazelnuts from the Common Hazel Chestnut Walnuts A nut can be both a seed and a fruit. ... Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Rice is two species of grass (Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima) native to tropical and subtropical southern & southeastern Asia and in Africa. ... A glass of red wine This article is about the alcoholic beverage. ... Amber jewelry in the form of pendants. ... This article is about the type of fabric. ... Revenue is a U.S. business term for the amount of money that a company earns from its activities in a given period, mostly from sales of products and/or services to customers. ... Green up arrow for a positive change in revenue from last fiscal year. ... ISO 4217 Code EUR User(s) European Union: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy (except Campione dItalia), Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A website (or Web site) is a collection of web pages, typically common to a particular domain name or subdomain on the World Wide Web on the Internet. ... An alternative trading organization (ATO) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) explicitly committed to realigning exploitative global trading structures, particularly those involving partners in developing countries. ... For the Jamaican reggae band, see Third World (band). ...

Mission

The main goal of GEPA³ is to improve the living and working conditions of people in the South, following the spirit of the UN Agenda 21 for economic, social and ecological sustainability. Agenda 21 is a program of the United Nations (UN) related to sustainable development. ...

Partners of GEPA

• Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED) (Evangelical Development Service),
• Bischöfliches Hilfswerk Misereor der Katholischen Kirche (Misereor Episcopal Welfare Organisation of the Catholic Church),
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Evangelischen Jugend (aej) (Consortium of the Evangelical Youth),
• Bund der Deutschen Katholischen Jugend (BDKJ) (Federation of the German Catholic Youth),
• Päpstliches Missionswerk der Kinder in Deutschland e.V. (PMK) (Papal Missionary work of Children in Germany (since 25th October 2004).

Sale Structure

15 regional fair trade centres in the Federal Republic of Germany supply approximately 800 shops worldwide and roughly 6,000 action groups with fairly traded groceries and handcrafted products. Numerous supermarkets and food retailers also sell gepa products. Cafetiras of companies, student unions, conference houses etc are provided by gepa on a wholesaler basis. The gepa website also has an online shop which generates sales.

The "Regionalen Fair Handelszentren" or RFZ (Regional Commercial Fairs) are partly owned by gepa with the other part belonging to independent sponsors.

• RFZs sponsored by GEPA themselves:

• West (Wuppertal)
• Central (Alzenau)
• South (Leonberg)
• Fair Trade Centre (Berlin)

• RFZs sponsored independently:

• Saarland (Saarbrücken)
• North (Hamburg)
• Bavaria (Haimhausen/Amperpettenbach)
• Saxony (Dresden)
• Aachen
• Bad Abbach
• Bonn
• Cadolzburg
• Münster
• Munich
• Northeim

Wuppertal university Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Leonberg is a town in the district of Böblingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ...

Membership

GEPA is a FLO International registered Fairtrade licensee and importer. The organization is also a licensee of Naturland Zeichen GmbH and a member of the European Fair Trade Association (EFTA), the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) and the Forums Fairer Handel. FLO International is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder association involving 20 member organizations (or Labelling Initiatives), producer groups, traders and external experts. ... The European Fair Trade Association is a Dutch association established in 1990. ... The International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) consists of a global network of Fair Trade Organizations (FTOs). ...

Campaigns

• As a member in the Forum Fairer Handel, taking part in the Fairen Woche ("Fair Week") organisation.
• Togethor with the Weltladen-Dachverband, leading a campaign for the development of activities ("Professionalisation") of Weltladen until 2006.

Periodical Publications

• Info Dienst
• Info Service
• Pressedienst (Press Service)

See also

Certified Fair trade quinoa producers in Ecuador. ... The fair trade movement as we know today has undergone several important changes since its early days following World War II. Fair trade, first seen as a form of charity advocated by religious organizations, has radically changed in structure, philosophy and approach: the past fifty years have witnessed massive changes... International Fairtrade Certification Mark Fairtrade certification (usually simply Fairtrade or Fair Trade Certified™ in the United States) is a product certification system designed to allow consumers to identify products which meet agreed environmental, labour and developmental standards. ... Fair trades increasing popularity has drawn criticism from both ends of the political spectrum. ... An alternative trading organization (ATO) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) explicitly committed to realigning exploitative global trading structures, particularly those involving partners in developing countries. ... Trade justice is a movement of Non-Governmental and Private Voluntary organisations that lobby for certain standards in trade that include; the adherence to human rights, the universal right to economic growth and the balance of trade and justice. ... Worldshops, world shops or Fair Trade Shops are retail outlets that practice the principles of fair trade. ... Black Gold is a 2006 documentary film about the international coffee trade and its ramifications for the farmers who grow coffee. ... One Cup (Short Documentary) 28 Mins, 2006. ... For other uses of fair trade, see fair trade. ... The International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) consists of a global network of Fair Trade Organizations (FTOs). ... The Network of European Worldshops (NEWS!) was established in 1994 and coordinates the cooperation between Worldshops in Europe. ... The European Fair Trade Association is a Dutch association established in 1990. ... FINE was created in 1998 and is an informal association of the four main Fair Trade networks: F Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) I International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) N Network of European Worldshops (NEWS!) and E European Fair Trade Association (EFTA) // The aim of FINE is to enable these... FLO International is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder association involving 20 member organizations (or Labelling Initiatives), producer groups, traders and external experts. ... FLO-CERT GmbH is the largest inspection and certification body for labelled Fairtrade. ... The International Fairtrade Certification Mark is an independent certification mark used in over 16 countries. ... US Fair Trade Certified Mark Canadian Fair Trade Certified Mark The Fair Trade Certified Mark is a certification mark used in Canada and in the United States. ... Fairtrade Town is a status awarded by the Fairtrade Foundation in the United Kingdom and Channel Islands, describing an area which is committed to the promotion of Fairtrade-labelled goods. ... International Fairtrade Certification Mark Fairtrade Town is a status awarded by a FLO member Fairtrade labelling initiative (i. ... Fairtrade fortnight is an annual event in the U.K. in which fair and ethical trading values are celebrated. ... Make Trade Fair is a campaign organized by Oxfam International to promote fair trade among governments, institutions, and multinational corporations. ... Each year, on the second Saturday of May, World Fair Trade Day is celebrated. ... An alternative trading organization (ATO) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) explicitly committed to realigning exploitative global trading structures, particularly those involving partners in developing countries. ... Alter Eco is a French alternative trading organization, created in 1998, specialized in the import and the distribution of Fairtrade products. ... Cafédirect is a UK-based alternative trading organization. ... Ctm altromercato is Italys largest alternative trading organization. ... Divine Chocolate Limited, formerly the Day Chocolate Company, is a manufacturer of Fairtrade chocolate products in the United Kingdom. ... Equal Exchange is a for-profit Fairtrade company located in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts that distributes organic, gourmet coffee, tea, sugar, cocoa, and chocolate bars produced by farmer cooperatives in Latin America, Africa and Asia. ... SERRV International is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, alternative trading organization operating in the United States and in Africa, Asia and Latin America. ... Traidcraft is a the UKs leading fair trade organisation dedicated to fighting poverty through trade. ... Twin Trading is a leading alternative trading company in the United Kingdom. ... Ten Thousand Villages is a program of Mennonite Central Committee started in 1946 that pioneered the concept of fair trade by buying crafts directly from artisans in the developing world and paying a living wage. ...

External links

• http://www.gepa.de Homepage of GEPA³
• http://www.eed.de Homepage of the Evangelischen Entwicklungsdienstes (EED)
• http://www.misereor.de Homepage of the Hilfswerkes Misereor
• http://www.bdkj.de Homepage of the Bund der Deutschen Katholischen Jugend
• http://www.evangelische-jugend.de Homepage of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Evangelischen Jugend
• http://www.fairewoche.de
• fairsprochen.org - das FAIRE Forum
• Die Krise der Kaffeewirtschaft (Teil II): Wege aus der globalen Preiskrise (The crisis of the coffee economy (Part II): Ways out of the global price crisis).