Altromercato

The history of AltroMercato began in the South Tyrolean Dolomites of Bolzano and Bressanone, where, in the early years &' 80, there were the first fair-trade stores, later developing in northern Italy. It is a visionary story that starts entirely from the concept of sharing and of taking charge of international economic and social justice: from fair trade to &'

Altromarkt is Fair Trade

“Fair Trade” was a word coined in 1987 by Antonio Vaccaro, one of the founders. “Solidarity without equity, which implies a social relationship, ends up being transformed into charity. And charity does not produce transformation, it does not change the state of things. On the other hand, equity without solidarity or without brotherhood becomes an abstract sense of justice, an empty justice because it is not embedded in a social dimension.”

In the following years, the cooperative increased the number of stores and members within it. The main purpose is to be able to buy and resell on the market starting directly from producers in the poorest areas of the world, guaranteeing them adequate salaries that respect a decent welfare state. Struggles have been fought and great sacrifices have been made in some territories to overcome the obstacles imposed by large multinationals that imposed quotas and market prices that were quite vexatious for farmers.

Thanks to Altrocato, new cooperatives have been created between producers for the production of coffee, sugar, chocolate, exotic fruit and much more

AltroMercato is organic and responsible consumption

The cooperative actively supports organic cultivation and other forms of protection of &' environment. The products are imported into Italy and Europe, and then resold according to the principles of responsible consumption. For example: the price of Altrocato products is broken down so that the &' buyer is always informed of the percentage allocated to producers and intermediaries.

Today Altrocato has 300 stores in Italy and 117 members. Crafts, fashion, food and processed foods are l&' another part of a market that has the face of &' man and the scent of the earth