GEPA – The Fair Trade Company

Line

  • Thomas Bacon (Managing Director)
  • Robin Roth ( CEO )
  • Matthias Kroth (Managing Director)

GEPA - The Fair Trade Company is the largest European importer of fair trade food and crafts from the southern countries of the world. The registered company in the Commercial Register of the company is Society for the Promotion of partnership with the Third World mbH. By February 2007, the name of the LLC nor matched Fair Trade was.

  • 3.1 The beginnings (1959 to 1980)
  • 3.2 1980s: Growing support
  • 3.3 The beginnings in retail
  • 3.4 The spread of coffee and new shareholders
  • 3.5 The restructuring
  • 6.1 RFZ in GEPA own sponsorship
  • 6.2 RFZ in self- sponsorship
  • 6.3 Former RFZ in GEPA own sponsorship

Product spectrum

Food

The company offers the following foods in the world to shop and in many supermarkets and health food stores:

  • Coffee (country, mixing, decaffeinated coffee, espresso, instant, coffee pods )
  • Tea (Ceylon, Darjeeling, Assam, Green and Rooibos, spiced tea)
  • Honey ( creamy, liquid mixtures )
  • Spreads ( fruit spreads, jams, marmalades, chocolate hazelnut, peanut butter )
  • Cocoa (instant, drinking chocolate )
  • Sweet / snacks (chocolate products ( tablets, bars, dragees ), pastries, candies, gummy bears with organic gelatin, Hearty (eg rice cakes ), nuts (such as cashews with salt or chili), dried fruits (eg. dried, sweetened mango ) )
  • Sugar ( cane sugar, sugar sticks)
  • Grains / pasta ( quinoa, rice (eg purple rice), pasta)
  • Chutneys / sauces ( chutneys = Spicy side dish sauces, for example, to marinate meat, sauces )
  • Beverages ( red, rosé, white wines, fruit juices ( orange juice, Fruchtmixgetränk ), alcoholic beverages ( liquor, honey wine ( mead) ), Guarana drinks, instant teas )

Crafts

The products from the non -food sector are offered almost exclusively in the world shops:

  • Coir blocks ( potting soil from coir)
  • Balls ( Hand-knotted footballs and balls for volleyball)
  • The Fair Trade Cook Book ( recipes with ingredients from fair trade )
  • Household goods ( cookware, dinnerware, cutlery )
  • Textiles, Woven ( home textiles, baskets and bags )
  • CDs (Music and stories of African nations, for example )
  • Jewelery (jewelry (eg, necklaces, earrings ) )
  • Soapnuts ( alternative to washing powder )
  • Musical instruments (for example, panpipes, fur Klinger, wood blocks, rattles )
  • Lamps (small floor lamps )

All products are 100% made under fair conditions in the developing world, 75 % of the food commodity is grown in organic farming.

Target

The company wants the fair trade improve the living conditions of people who are disadvantaged because of regional and national economic and social structures of their country and the world economy.

With the support of GEPA and other organizations, among others, the following objectives have been achieved:

  • Improved power and water supply
  • Health care
  • Reduction of child labor
  • Establishment of schools and educational institutions
  • Improve product quality ( Organic farming )
  • Say the producers
  • Regular working hours, with breaks
  • Several job opportunities

History

The beginnings (1959 to 1980)

Fair trade begins in 1959 in the Netherlands: The Foundation Steun voor Onderontwikkelde Streken (SOS) is founded. 1967 starts S.O.S. with the trade of products from the so -called Third World. In April 1969 opened the first store in the Dutch town of Breukelen world. In the early 1970s, in Germany, Austria and Switzerland subsidiary of SOS founded. 1973, the world's first fair-trade coffee is sold in the Netherlands. More and more Third World groups offer Fair Trade products; the first Third World shops also arise in Germany. In 1973, as a German subsidiary of the SOS Foundation The association founded company for trade with the third world, the forerunner of the pair. In 1975, the Working Group of the Third World shops named AG3WL will be launched in Frankfurt / Main: There are ten world shops in the Federal Republic of Germany. 1978 place in Hamburg the opening event to action " jute instead of plastic " instead. The number of world shops has risen to 100. The late 1970s, the daughter of organizations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are independent. In 1980, the Fair Trade organization in the Netherlands in SOS Wereldhandel renamed.

1980s: Growing support

In 1983, a total of 2,500 Action Groups, in 1986 already 4000 action groups; 400 world shops sell fair trade products nationwide. 1988, introduced in the Netherlands, the Max Havelaar fair trade. In order to attract new buyers, and especially to provide trading partners more outlets for their products, which is matched 1989 new ground in distribution. In addition to the "classical" distribution areas of the world shops and action groups, it widens the distribution increasing impact on organic and natural food stores, food retail, wholesale and mail order consumer. The development of the seal TransFair, the paired active support is also part of the strategy for expanding trade. In 1989, the International Federation for Alternative Trade ( IFAT ) was founded as the World Federation of alternative import organizations, which belong to about 100 fair trade organizations in 1998, including in Germany Third World partners Ravensburg (today: dwp eG ), El Puente, matched and TEAM. In 1990, the European Fair Trade Association (EFTA ) was founded as an association of eleven alternative import organizations.

The beginnings in retail

In 1989, the action arms Tübingen world began as a pilot project for coffee in the normal trade in Tübingen three branches of the Gottlieb- trading company selling GEPA - AHA coffee. In the course of an opening to the food retail industry was sold from May 1990 in 34 branches of the Gottlieb- trading company AHA coffee GEPA.

In order to address new customer groups and to provide primarily trading partners more outlets for their products, you went from about 1989 new ground in distribution. In addition to the "classical" distribution areas of the world shops and action groups, it expanded sales increasing impact on natural food and organic food stores, food retail, wholesale and mail order consumer. The development of the seal TransFair (now FAIR TRADE ) is also part of the strategy for expanding trade.

On 7 October 1992, the GEPA first licensee of TransFair was. The first TransFair sealed coffee was sold in the fall of 1992.

The spread of coffee and new shareholders

On 8 January 1993, the first specifically intended for retail coffee was roasted. From January to March won one new major customers: Henkel, the Bundestag Restaurant, Alliance, Landtag of Rhineland- Palatinate, German Technical Cooperation ( GTZ) and the city halls of the cities Menden and Langenfeld. Also in March, the number of TransFair member organizations (partners ) rose to 26, here are the new German Welthungerhilfe eV, the Office for community service (now the home of church services ) of the Evangelical Lutheran. Lutheran Church Hanover, the EDCS - West German Sponsoring Association ( later renamed Oikocredit ) and the Federation of Catholic Agricultural Youth Movement ( KLJB ). On 12 May 1993, new criteria for trade relations have been introduced.

The restructuring

The trade fair BioFach in February 2007, the company is undergoing a design change. The corporate logo, the packaging and the advertising campaign be changed. The aim is to appeal to the youth and make them familiar with the Fair Trade. Instead of the small letter matched the new logo consists of the capital letter GEPA in connection with the claim THE FAIR TRADE COMPANY.

Indicators

  • Founded: May 14, 1975
  • Headquarters: Wuppertal
  • Share capital: Euro 2.083 million
  • Employees: 153

Turnover numbers ( fiscal year from April to March of the next year ):

Shareholder

  • Church Development Service ( EED),
  • Episcopal Relief and Works Agency Misereor of the Catholic Church,
  • Working Group of the Evangelical Youth ( aej )
  • Federation of German Catholic Youth ( BDKJ )
  • Children's Mission " The Caroler " (since 25 October 2004),
  • Bread for the World (since May 2007).

Sales structure

11 Regional trade fair centers in Germany to supply about 800 world shops and 6,000 action groups with fairly traded food and craft products. Many supermarkets and food retailers have the products in their range. Canteens of enterprises, student services, meeting houses and the like. be supplied by the catering service ( AHS ). In addition, there is an online shop.

The Regional Fair trade centers ( RFZ ), with the exception of the RFZ Wuppertal, in self- ownership.

RFZ in GEPA own sponsorship

The GEPA operates only its own RFZ for the Western Region in Wuppertal.

RFZ in self- sponsorship

  • Fair - Mart West eG ( Saarbruecken )
  • South-North Kontor GmbH ( GEPA Nord, Hamburg)
  • F.A.I.R.E. Merchandise trade eG (Dresden) for South Germany
  • Aachen
  • Bad Abbach
  • Bonn
  • Cadolzburg
  • FAIR Handelsgesellschaft mbH (Münster)
  • Fairkauf trading post eG (Munich )

Former RFZ in GEPA own sponsorship

  • South ( Leonberg ), was closed at the end of 2011
  • East (Berlin), was closed at the end of 2011
  • Center ( Alzenau ) was closed to end of October 2012

GEPA - TV

Several times a week GEPA - TV will broadcast the TV channel BW Baden-Württemberg Family.tv. In about 15 minutes, the products are presented, presenter Denise Wenzel. In small Einspielern people are shown that produce for the GEPA food and non -food products, how they live and how they can benefit from Fair Trade.

Membership

The GEPA is a member of the World Fair Trade Organization ( WFTO ), the European Fair Trade Association (EFTA ), the International Fair Trade Association ( IFAT ) and the Fair Trade Forum. In addition, she is a registered FLO importer and licensee TransFair eV, and at Naturland Zeichen GmbH. As a member of Fair Trade Forum, the GEPA involved in the organization of the Fair Week.

Special features of the package

On every new sales package a photo with a quote from one trading partner in the developing world is depicted, which establishes the particular product; so should we see on the pictures, that the people more is better, the more you buy products with their participation. The logo consists of a spiral in the center of which a G is.

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