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This year, World Fair Trade Day falls on the same weekend as Mother’s Day (May 13^th), highlighting a natural connection between the two holidays and the opportunity to focus on the positive impact that Fair Trade has on the lives of so many mothers around the world.

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Mother's Day 2012 is just around the corner, and we're here to help you find a few Fair ways to show mom you care. With Fair Trade USA’s Mother’s Day gift guide, we're giving you the opportunity to choose products that support fair wages and better lives millions of farmers and workers in more than 70 countries worldwide. Each chocolate bar, bouquet of roses, glass of wine, or yummy-smelling lotion was made with respect for the people who grow and sew the products we love. 

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Astral Blend and Decaf Astral Blend are the Spring Seasonal Roasts offered by Weaver’s Coffee & Tea and have been described as being: Sweet, Smooth and Sassy. Like the gorgeous cherry blossom, Astral Blend comes to us in the Spring and stays with us through Valentine’s Day, Easter and Mother’s Day. But these Fair Trade Certified and Certified Organic hand-roasted artisan blends are more than just coffee.

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We are inspired that Fair Trade is providing life-saving health care services and clean drinking water in some of the poorest and most isolated communities in the world.

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For Maria Herminia Garcia and her small, Nicaraguan cooperative, CORCASAN, Fair Trade certification means so much more than a fair price; it is a symbol of hope and pride for the women in her community. Maria was the first female to ever be elected president of her cooperative, and is part of the organization's governing board--40 percent of which is now women.

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Last week we had the pleasure of visiting with Gilbert Ramirez, a Fair Trade coffee and sugar producer from a cooperative in Costa Rica called CoopeAgri. It was incredibly inspiring to learn about the impact of Fair Trade in this region, and how the small farming community of Pérez Zeledón continues to grow and thrive through the Fair Trade model.

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Coffee cooperatives in Brazil are making monumental strides in their transition from conventional coffee production to more sustainable and organic methods. These coffee trailblazers are, quite literally, rocking the foundation of the Brazilian coffee industry  with their eco-friendly, socially-responsible farming techniques.

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Here's a Fair Trade Certified product that's both good for you and good for the world: