|
|
Maggie's Story - Partners
 Maggie's
is a staunch supporter of fair trade, responsible business ethics,
and environmental stewardship. The company operates with a close-knit
community of farmers, yarn mills and garment assemblers in both
the U.S. and abroad. "Developing relationships with people who
work in the mills and sew our garments is one of the unique
things about Maggie's," said Bená Burda, President of Maggie's
Organics. "Their stories, families, and lives enrich ours, and
we're blessed with a customer base that believes all of this
is important."
Click here to view a 13 minute video that tells the story of our work to form a sewing cooperative with victims of Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua.
A FEW OF OUR PARTNERS:
The Fair Trade Zone - Nueva Vida, Nicaragua
In an effort to uphold a commitment to social responsibility,
Maggie's Organics is proud to have played a critical role in
the creation and development of The Fair Trade Zone, a sewing
cooperative in a highly impoverished area of Nicaragua. Ravished
by Hurricane Mitch and a series of other natural disasters,
the inhabitants of Nueva Vida, Nicaragua, found themselves forced
to work in sweatshops if they found employment at all. A partnership
with Maggie's Organics and an NGO, Jubilee House, has helped
them build a dream - The Fair Trade Zone. The Fair Trade Zone
is now a successful and independent business, which is 100%
owned by its workers.
The members of the coop literally built the plant from the ground
up with their own hands. They installed donated equipment, educated
each other about what it means to make garments with organic
cotton, and learned to fulfill the special requirements for
production with organic goods. These women have spent nights
sleeping in the sewing facility to guard their equipment; they
have survived on pooling their food resources, even eating the
avocados grown on the nearby trees. They have gone through the
hardships of starting a business and all the challenges of owning
a business.
The Fair Trade Zone has become the world's first and only 100%
worker-owned free trade zone. This status allows the cooperative
to compete with foreign-owned free trade zones enjoying the
same tax and export benefits, while keeping the profits in their
own community. "We hope this project will serve as a model of
social responsibility for companies doing business in developing
countries," said Maggie's President Bená Burda.
For more information: http://www.fairtradezone.jhc-cdca.org/
The VG Kids - Ypsilanti, MI
Less than 3 miles from Maggie's headquarters is VG Kids, a screen
printing shop that offers products and services including custom
designed t-shirts, bumper stickers, posters, CD covers, buttons,
and banners. VG Kids prints many of our garments using soft,
crisp water-based inks. Owner James Marks illustrated the art
used for several of our unique products including our award-winning
Baby Bodysuit and Cap sets. VG Kids' creativity and imagination
has become an integral part of Maggie's success.
For more information : http://www.vgkids.com
Coopcostura - San Jose, Costa Rica
Coopcostura was formed in 1988 as the result of a factory owner
who abandoned his building, machinery, and unpaid workers. The
workers were able to take control of the plant and turn it into
a thriving business. The Coop's partnership with Maggie's is
their first opportunity to work directly with a client.
Daycare and school bonuses for Coopcostura's workers were provided
for over ten years, until it became financially impossible to
continue these programs. Through our partnership, Coopcostura
is able to place a large part of their Maggie's earnings into
an account for the education and well-being of the workers and
their families. Starting in February of 2008, Coopcostura's
fund will enable them to give monetary assistance to workers
with school age children, the first of what we hope will be
many worker-chosen programs. |
| |
|
