Rice founded Fair Trade USA in 1998 and will remain on the non-profit’s Advisory Board, with current Chief Operating Officer Felipe Arango assuming Interim CEO responsibilities
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Paul Rice (pictured right) | Photo credit: Fair Trade USA
Fair Trade USA Founder Paul Rice is stepping down as CEO after 26 years at the helm of the California-based non-profit organisation.
Originally founded as regional offshoot of Fairtrade International, Fair Trade USA became an independent entity in 2012.
In a press release, the ethical certification organisation said Paul Rice will see out the remainder of 2024 in his current capacity as Founder before transitioning to the company’s Advisory Council in 2025.
Chief Operating Officer Felipe Arango – who joined Fair Trade USA in December 2023 – will serve as Interim CEO while the business seeks a permanent successor.
Rice’s decision to step down follows ‘several years of leadership team development and organisational transformation’, which has strengthened the company’s capacity to scale its impact across the US.
“It has truly been an honour and privilege to lead Fair Trade USA and our amazing team. I’m so proud of the impact that we and our stakeholders have had over the last 26 years. We have helped improve the lives of millions of hardworking farmers and workers, building hope for a better future. We have shown corporate America that ethical sourcing can be good not just for people and planet, but also for the bottom line,” Rice said.
Rice founded Fair Trade USA in 1998 and led the non-profit under Fairtrade International until 2012, when it became an independent entity – a move Rice said would help grow ‘the impact of the fair trade movement to new products, geographies, and producers’.
Today, Fair Trade USA partners with over 1,500 brands and retailers and certifies a broad range of consumer products, including coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, fresh produce, dairy and fish.
In July 2023, the non-profit controversially announced a freeze on its current minimum pricing and premiums for all coffee sold under its Fair Trade Certified label during that year. In contrast, Fairtrade International increased its Minimum Price for coffee to offer a ‘safety net’ for coffee farmers grappling with high inflation, rising production costs and erratic market prices.
In June 2024, Fair Trade USA said it would continue its current pricing through to the end of 2025 to ‘prioritise market stability’ amid ‘extraordinarily high prices and volatility’ in the global coffee market.
Fair Trade USA lists Keurig Dr Pepper, Farmer Brothers, Equator Coffees, Ellegro Coffee, Death Wish Coffee and Rusty Dog Coffee among its coffee partner brands.