Exit
money, which goes back to feed
families in developing countries
rather than into the pockets of a
corporate giant.
Edmundson purchased the business, originally named Hemp Sisters, in 2004 and grew it from a
family hobby business to a website
dedicated to wholesale fair trade.
Earth Divas was certified by the
Fair Trade Federation in December
2011. Edmundson works directly
with his artisans to collaborate on
his product and pays them as much
as possible on an hourly wage. On
top of paying out typical wages, Edmundson doesn’t take a salary and
returns 100 percent of the business’s profits to the workers, taking
what he does beyond the realm of
typical fair trade practices.
“Once I started doing this, it
was like this is not going to be
anything that’s ever going to make
me rich, and I can’t take money, I
don’t want the money,” he said. “I
don’t want to be 65-70 years old
and be ready to call it a day and
look back and say that I didn’t do
anything worthwhile in my life.”
Earth Divas products are carried
everywhere from local mom-andpop health food stores to college
bookstores and national chains,
such as Whole Foods Market. You
might see the brightly colored,
handmade bags on the shoulder of
a college student or on the arm of a
GREATEST PERSON
OF THE WEEK
soccer mom on a grocery run.
Edmundson’s passion for his
business makes the effort a success, even though he’s been losing
money for at least five years. In
order to generate interest among
customers, Edmunsdon decided
to price products well below what
they cost to produce.
“I’ve had to kind of buy my way
HUFFINGTON
07.22.12
Fair trade
products are
often more
expensive,
because they
incorporate
real wages for
laborers.