Fair Trade Helping Bolivian Workers Receive Good Wages

Missoulian:

Clad in his own alpaca fleece, Mario Andrade haggled with University of Montana students looking for a cheaper price on hats, mittens and sweaters.

The prices, he explained, weren’t necessarily open for debate. They were intended to provide needed income to the wool growers and spinners of Bolivia, his homeland, so they might lead a better life and send their children to school.

“I help my people become somebody they can be proud of – being a Bolivian – to support their kids, and so their kids can be in school and be happy,” he said this week while fending off the Montana chill.

Andrade flashed his Bolivian Fair Trade card signed by the Bolivian president when explaining the fair-trade concept to potential buyers.

Is fair trade good for business?

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