We have a winner! Shannon! “I love Equal Exchange coffees. They have a roast called Love Buzz that’s outta this world!” An email is on the way.

October is Fair Trade Month and the good folks at Fair Trade USA sent out a sample bag for us to review at MoFo headquarters. I received a box chock full o’ fair trade goods that include teas, coffee and ice cream. I’ll take you through an unpacking of the box so you can see all the goods.

Fair Trade USA is the leading independent, third party verifier of fair trade products in the US. From their mission statement: “We seek to empower family farmers and workers around the world, while enriching the lives of those struggling in poverty. Rather than creating dependency on aid, we use a market-based approach that empowers farmers to get a fair price for their harvest, helps workers create safe working conditions, provides a decent living wage and guarantees the right to organize. Through direct, equitable trade, farming and working families are able to eat better, keep their kids in school, improve health and housing, and invest in the future.”

Their website has an excellent list of products and partnerships they have and you can read more about who benefits when you buy fair trade products.

Now, on to the fair trade goods! Everything is nicely packed into a reusable tote within the shipping box

If you know me, you know I’m a tea fiend. On the top of the package was a sampler box from Numi Tea with 8 different types of tea. I went right for the breakfast blend since I’m a fan of hearty black teas. I also tried the Rooibos Chai and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the spice in it. Numi uses biodegradable filter papers which makes me feel better about using an already bagged tea and they have a wide range of teas to choose from.

Also at the top was a box of Stash Guayusa which is an Amazonian tree leaf. I already enjoy Stash teas so I was excited to be able to try something new.  It reminds me a bit of mate and is described as having an earthy undertone. Not technically a tea but something that is a nice change of pace.

Coconut Bliss had included a Walnut Brownie pint in the box that has a coupon inside for a free pint along with a Coconut Bliss sticker and pamphlet telling their business story. I am a fan of Coconut Bliss, especially the new flavours they debuted last year, and suspect this coupon will go toward a pint of their ginger cookie caramel. Some of the best vegan ice cream, hands down.

Also included in a Hae Now organic cotton t-shirt with the Fair Trade Certified logo. Super soft and comfortable.

Madhava agave nectar had a bottle of their raw organic agave nectar toward the bottom of the box. I’m a straight up tea drinker, no sugar or milk, so most of my agave consumption goes into my baked goods.  My super special agave spice cookies obviously feature agave as a main ingredient and the Madhava worked perfectly in the baking.

Nestled further down was a bag of Just Love coffee Peruvian blend. I am not a coffee drinker and have no apparatus for making it so I passed this along to a friend for review who said he quite enjoyed it.

Rishi Tea sent a tin of their pu-erh ginger tea which I have already put into my cabinet to use this winter. I love a good ginger tea when it’s cold outside and I may have a hint of a sore throat. This one has a nice flavour without being too strong.

Everything was packed into a Fair Trade USA tote bag (also produced to fair trade standards) which has been great for carrying boxes to the post and stuffing with groceries and big bunches of kale from my local farmers market. I love that this is much sturdier than some you find at grocery stores and is cotton instead of a plastic.

We are super pleased that Fair Trade USA has offered a delightful sample box to one of our Vegan MoFo readers and will ship to either the United States or Canada. All the products in the sample bags were kindly donated by the companies to help Fair Trade USA spread the word this month about the importance and range of fair trade products.

To enter our contest simply leave a comment stating what your favourite fair trade product is or which product pictured above you would most like to try. I will pick a winner on Tuesday, October 23 at 3 pm EST so please make sure we can contact you and check back to see if you win! The sample box your receive may include some different products than the ones pictured above.