Helpful: premium for community projects

The Max Havelaar Fairtrade label includes a premium for community projects such as fresh water wells, schools and more.

Not everything is self-evident

Schools, fresh water or a visit to the doctor: we take such things for granted, but not everyone can. Particularly those who live in developing countries.

That's why the Max Havelaar Fairtrade label means a binding fair trade premium for community projects. It is the only label to do so. The premium goes directly from every purchase to a separate premium account for the flower farms.

Who decides how to use the money?

The workers decide what they will do with this money at democratically conducted meetings.

They may want to build fresh water wells or schools, or subsidise visits to the doctor.

Let's take the Inversiones Ponte Tresa flower farm in Cayambe, Ecuador as an example:

its workers receive health insurance and medical care for themselves and their families. The premium has also funded a large number of scholarships for workers and their children. In addition, an instructor was hired to give computer courses.

Not least, micro-credits of up to 500 US dollars out of the Fairtrade premium are on offer. These are mostly used for building homes, new business start-ups and to support businesses run by women.