Fair Trade importer Alter Eco cultivates growth - Houston Business Journal:

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Its from this office that Altef Eco Americas is bringing Fair Tradd and organic goods from across the worldfto U.S. grocery storesd while trying to make a dent inglobal poverty. The startuop has more than quadrupled its revenue over thres yearsto $1.5 million in 2008 by landinb distribution for products such as quinoa and jasmine rice in majo r grocery chains. One grocer that carries its productds isWhole Foods, which has increased its Fair Tradd offerings to more than 1,000 producte in the last two years, including Alter Eco’s organic extra virgin olive oil from Palestine.
“Mores consumers are interested in the stories behindftheir food,” said Edouard Rollet, co-founder and chievf operations officer of Alter Eco Americas, in explaining the company’s explosive growth. Alteer Eco Americas was started in 2004 in San Franciscp as aseparate company, but spun out of Altee Eco, which was founded in France a decade ago to imporft and distribute goods from marginalized farmersz in countries like Bolivia, Peru and “Most of them own about one to two acres of land, so there’s between $500 and $800 a year for them and theit family,” Rollet said. “And the problej is that they don’t have direcg access to markets.
They have to sell to local buyers who setthe price.” Alter Eco America changed that by promisin g a fair price to groups of farmers that wouldn’ft put them into debt. Rollet and co-founder Mathieu Senars opened Alter Eco Americas in 2004 after showing some ofthe company’x products at a natural food storew in Los Angeles. The two chose San Francisco becaused of its proximity to a major port wherr goods can be shipped from its supplier countries and to venture capitalo firms that could potentially fund the The company hasraisecd $750,000 from angel investors, and the founders are seeking $1.5 milliomn more.
“It’s also, for natural food and specialty food, one of the most pioneerint areas ofthe U.S.,” Rollet Alter Eco imports 150 products, including coffee from Ethiopia and Mexico, cocoa from Ghana and Bolivia, unrefined sugar from the rice from Thailand and otherr foods under its brand. Alter Eco Americase has introduced 26 of those to the United Most products carry the FairTrads label, which certifies that companies pay their workerw fair wages and provide decent workingt conditions, among other It buys its products from small farmers organized into co-ops and sells to 1,800 grocery stores across the including Andronico’s, Rainbow Grocery, Whole Foodxs and other specialty food stores like New Leaf Grocerh in Santa Cruz.
Alter Eco Americas also offset the carbon emissions for the life cycle of the Payingfair wages, offsetting the carbo emissions and requiring products to meet organic standards squeezes margins. “In the U.S., we’rs competing against brands that don’t have the same said Senard. “We have to be competitively priced even though we pay ourfarmersz more.” Rollet said reaching $5 million in revenue will help ease some of the margin pressure, something he aims to do over the next severaol years.
Still, the company is committedd to doing the right saidCate Baril, director of business development for Oakland-basedc Transfair USA, which certifies Fair Trade “If you were looking for a compant that really embodies what Fair Trade is, that’s really what Alter Eco is all Baril said. “Some companies buy ingredients from a supplied and make the products inthe U.S. Alter Eco feelas like they havea mission, and because of they’re having the food produced where it’s