Equal Exchange, Inc.

This was the essence of the vision that the three Equal Exchange founders Jonathan Rosenthal, Michael Rozyne and Rink Dickinson (pictured above), held in their minds and hearts as they stood together on a metaphorical cliff back in 1986. The three, who had met each other as managers at a New England food co-op, were part of a movement to transform the relationship between the public and food producers. At the time, however, these efforts didn't extend to farmers outside of the U.S. The founders decided to meet once a week and did so for three years to discuss how best to change the way food is grown, bought, and sold around the world. Equal Exchange's mission is to build long-term trade partnerships that are economically just and environmentally sound, to foster mutually beneficial relationships between farmers and consumers and to demonstrate, through our success, the contribution of worker co-operatives and Fair Trade to a more equitable, democratic and sustainable world.