Our Mission

Our mission is to promote social justice and economic independence for disadvantaged people in countries around the world by providing a market for their original handmade crafts.

Our Philosophy

• Fair World Marketplace exists to provide a sustainable market for disadvantaged peoples around the world.
• We believe that business should be governed not by rules and profits but by values.
• We practice fair trade principles in all we do.
• We  carefully screen all our suppliers for adherence to international Fair Trade guidelines which include the right of all workers to be able to support themselves and their families through a living wage in dignified and non-exploitative working condition.
• We practice these principles with the artisan groups we work with and with those
  we employ.
• We celebrate the rich cultural heritages of all those with whom we work, helping to create new products using their traditional skills and art forms.
• We believe that contributing to the development of sustainable self-sufficiency gives individuals dignity and hope, creating stronger societies, which ultimately benefits us all.
• We support responsible and accountable business practices through financial disclosure.
• Above all, we believe that as a society we must not just ask how we can gain the most for ourselves, but rather how together we can best strengthen our world condition.

Our Founder

Maurine McTyre-Watts worked for twenty years as a nurse, ten of them as a certified Family Nurse Practitioner in poor rural, homeless,
migrant and urban American communities. She also volunteered in hospitals in South America and in the Middle East.

Maurine grew up in South America and has traveled extensively in third world countries throughout her adult life. These experiences made her acutely aware of economic inequities and lack of opportunities for millions of people. In 2003, following a trip to Calcutta, India, she decided she wanted to address directly one of the root causes of poverty: the lack of access to economic development and revenue sources. She had first heard of fair trade years earlier. At this point, she decided to work full time in fair trade.

In September, 2004, she opened Fair World Marketplace–a fair trade retail store in DeWitt, NY. She began to speak about the movement wherever possible. In 2006, Fair World Marketplace was accepted into membership in the Fair Trade Federation and joined Co-op America.