Call us at: 1.877.299.1683 or 604.299.1683
Contact Info
Our Commitment to Domestic Fair Trade
Increasingly, people are becoming more aware of the Fair Trade Movement which insures fair wages, living conditions, and rights of producers abroad - but what about our farmers here at home? Discovery Organics believes that these rights need to be guaranteed for all farmers, whether in our backyard or South America.
As the Fair Trade movement has grown, it has become apparent that small-scale farmers in North America often face similar challenges as producers in developing countries. Big agribusiness continues to thrive while small farmers have gone out of business. Consumers pay more, while farmers receive less.
The Domestic Fair Trade Movement aims to raise awareness of domestic farming issues while striving for social justice for our local growers. The Domestic Fair Trade Association (DFTA) is a consensus based organization that is doing tremendous development work to achieve the goals of the movement across the Americas.
Discovery Organics is proud to be a member of the DFTA, contributing to the collaboration of organizations representing farmers, farmworkers, food system workers, retailers, manufacturers, processors, and non-governmental organizations.
The work of the DFTA is guided by the Principles for Domestic Fair Trade as defined by its members. These principles represent the values which underlie and guide our work together as organizations and individuals united for the promotion of “Health, Justice and Sustainability."
- Family Scale Farming
- CapacityBuildingfor Producers and Workers
- Democratic & Participatory Ownership & Control
- Rights of Labor
- Equality & Opportunity
- Direct Trade
- Fair & Stable Pricing
- Shared Risk & Affordable Credit
- Long-Term Trade Relationships
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Appropriate Technology
- Indigenous Peoples’ Rights
- Transparency & Accountability
- Education & Advocacy
- Responsible Certification and Marketing
- Animal Welfare
Please visit www.thedfta.org for more information about the Domestic Fair Trade Movement and the Domestic Fair Trade Association.
Our Growers Are Our Heroes
We got into this business because we wanted to help small scale organic farmers here at home gain access to the larger commercial marketplace, and to ensure their families and communities thrive. Over the past decade or so, we have endeavored to do this, step by step, with over ninety B.C. farms.
Our hearts still belong to the small scale growers. We have visited dozens of farms in B.C., working with growers to see them move to larger and more financially sustainable operations.
We feel encouraged by the impressive increase in consumer demand for organics and local. We also acknowledge that we might not be able to grow all our own food year round. Even more so now, as our climate changes, no harvest is a safe bet.
So over the years, we have extended our relationships with small scale farmers to include farms down the Pacific Coast, through Washington, Oregon and California, then on to Mexico and South America. Together, this network of growers keep us all fed year round. And for this we are grateful.
Grower Profile
Beginning on one acre of land in 1980, the John Givens Farm has grown to cover 180 acres in 12 locations across the Goleta Valley. John Givens produces a wide range of fresh organic seasonal...