Alter Eco is a France-based alternative trading organization, founded in 1998 by Tristan Lecomte,[1] which specializes in the import and distribution of Fairtrade products.
The organization is well-known in the Fair Trade movement for its unique marketing, branding approach, and extensive product range: it is widely considered as one of the strongest Fair Trade brands on the market. Alter Eco products are offered in several French mass retailers such as Monoprix, Cora, Match, Système U, E.Leclerc and Carrefour. As of 2007[update], there are over 100 Alter Eco Fair Trade products on the market, sourced from 42 cooperatives in 37 countries. Alter Eco Fair Trade products include coffee, tea, rice, sugar, quinoa, chocolate, olive oil, juice, cotton balls, and many more.
In 2005, Alter Eco offered its products for the first time in the United States and Australia. In 2006, the organization approached Brazilian retailers to sell Brazilian products in the country under Fair Trade terms, thus creating the first South-South Fair Trade experiment.
In the US market, Alter Eco has rapidly expanded its availability to consumers, and can be found in every major area across the country. Alter Eco products available in the US include coffee, tea, rice, quinoa, sugar, chocolate, and most recently hearts of palm.
In Europe, all Alter Eco products are FLO-CERT certified and bear the International Fairtrade Certification Mark. In the United States, products bear the "Fair Trade Certified" mark of TransFair USA.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||