Cultures Boutique

About

Cultures Boutique is Fredericton’s first fair trade gift and clothing store. Funds raised at Cultures are used to support social programs.

Story

Cultures Boutique is Fredericton’s first fair trade gift and clothing store. Operated by the International Department of the Fredericton Y, funds raised at Cultures are used to support both social programs within our community and the international development work of the Y.

The Fredericton YMCA is the lead association in the partnership between YMCAs in Eastern Canada and the YMCA of Honduras, and funds raised at Cultures go to support the work of the Honduran Y. Their primary effort is the promotion of human and civil rights in that beleaguered country. The focus of the Honduran YMCA is on guaranteeing and protecting the rights of young people. This work is particularly important now, when the country is just returning to democracy after the military coup of 2009.
Fair Trade is a means by which primary producers in developing countries earn a fair share of the market value of the goods they produce. The suppliers Cultures works with guarantee:

• That primary producers (crafts people or farmers) are paid fairly for their labor within the terms of the local economy;
• That working conditions comply with the guidelines of the United Nations’ International Labor Organization; and
• That raw materials are harvested in an environmentally responsible manner.
Cultures offers a wide range of ethically traded products, including clothing, jewellery, ceramic ware, and paper products (including paper made from recycled elephant poo!).

In cooperation with Just Us! Coffee, Cultures is the exclusive distributor in Fredericton of a special fair trade coffee from the Marcala Region of Honduras.