Friends of the Third World started in the 1970’s with a group of students who raised funds for projects addressing the roots of poverty. Our Third World Shoppe was modeled after World Shops in Holland which aimed to encourage average citizens to address the world economy in ways that treat the producers of products fairly. We started with handcrafted gifts made by refugees of the wars in Southeast Asia. In the 1980’s we expanded to market food, starting with coffee produced by community based farmers in Nicaragua and Mexico. Since then, we have attracted partnerships with over 80 producer groups in areas of unrest or natural disaster. Each has a story to tell, helping each of us make better choices as we spend each dollar, working to create a fairer, more democratic marketplace.
To learn more, contact us. To learn more about each item, click on the photo or logo.