Is Trade as One a for-profit or not-for-profit organization?
If you want to sum up our business model, we are a not-just-for-profit business! In setting up Trade as One the decision to use a for-profit structure was based firmly on what we felt would, in the long-term, be the most sustainable and effective way to build jobs for the poorest of the poor and to serve them through Fair Trade. All organizations, regardless of their business model – whether not-for-profit or for-profit- must shoulder their overhead expenses either through donations (in the case of a not-for-profit) or through profit margins (in the case of a for-profit). Trade as One, like any trading company, therefore incorporates these overhead costs into the profit margin. This margin enables us to operate and grow each year. This means we are able to rent warehouse space, to import products, to employ staff, to cover the costs of bringing the concept of fair trade products to more people each year, and to re-invest in growth. It is our belief and desire that the structure for set
