Fair trade businesses in Hamilton

Sarah O'Connor
Staff Reporter

For Coffee:

Homegrown Hamilton

27 King William Street

Phone: (905) 777-8102

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.homegrownhamilton.com

Facebook: Homegrown Hamilton

Twitter: @HomgrownHam

Fair Trade coffee is probably the first thing people associate with the term. While there are many places around McMaster that sell Fair Trade coffee (such as Union Market and My Dog Joe), it’s nice to explore the city a bit more and experience the downtown core. Homegrown Hamilton freshly roasts their coffee right in front of you using only Fair Trade and organic beans from around the world. They offer a variety of coffee flavours as well as snacks for you to enjoy. The café-by-day, bar-by-night, offers weekly live entertainment by local and non-local artists.

For Food:

Ten Thousand Villages

162 Locke Street South

Phone: (905) 522-1626

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.tenthousandvillages.ca

Facebook: Ten Thousand Villages Canada

Twitter: @VillagesCanada

Celebrating its 68 Anniversary as the largest Fair Trade retailer in North America, Ten Thousand Villages is definitely the most interesting of the shops because everything it sells is fair trade: coffee and tea, jewelry, and food items from India, Bangladesh and many other places. Additionally, Ten Thousand Villages also sells a variety of fair trade chocolate and spices for cooking− a great way to spice up Ramen Noodles or a way to liven up dessert!

For Art:

The Quirky Crocodile

600 Upper Wellington Street

Phone: (905) 387 0404

Website: www.thequirkycrocodile.com

Email: the [email protected]

Facebook: The Quirky Crocodile

Twitter: @quirkycrocodile

The Quirky Crocodile is a brand-new store to Hamilton that opened its doors on Feb.1. As well as selling fair trade coffee and tea, The Quirky Crocodile also sells gorgeous Fair Trade metal wall art from Haiti. The wall art is unique as it is recycled from steel oil drums and made with a hammer and chisel. The Quirky Crocodile also sells bamboo wind chimes, decorative masks, and products made by local artists such as hats, mittens, and sock animals.