Highlights from St. Louis
Connection, Celebration, and Collaboration!
The 2025 Fair Trade Federation Conference & Expo gathered more than 150 attendees from across the U.S. and Canada for three inspiring days in St. Louis, Missouri. As the cornerstone gathering of the fair trade community, the event united leaders, owners, employees, and advocates from wholesalers, retailers, and allied organizations.
This year marked the launch of the Fair Trade Federation Recognition Awards, an exciting new tradition celebrating the creativity, commitment, and impact of our members. During the Welcome Dinner, we honored businesses and individuals whose work exemplifies the principles of fair trade, from innovative product design and branding to social impact, engagement, collaboration, and visual merchandising. Congratulations to all of the nominees, finalists, and winners whose leadership and dedication continue to strengthen the fair trade movement!
The next two days, with close to fifty speakers, our gathering brought the fair trade community together for big-picture conversations and bold ideas. On Wednesday morning, we held an inspiring fireside chat with leaders from Nest, Chicago Fair Trade, HANDMADE to MARKET and Equal Exchange. The plenary session reflected on the challenges and opportunities of today’s marketplace and the critical role of collaboration in creating lasting impact.
Thursday’s plenary, Practicing the Future of Responsible Trade, spotlighted a series of short, powerful talks from Fair Trade Federation members who are actively shaping the path forward through innovations in supply chains, sustainability, storytelling, and community engagement. Together, these plenary sessions underscored both the urgency and the promise of building a more just and sustainable future.
The two-day Fair Trade Expo was a vibrant showcase, featuring 46 exhibitors with wholesale products that spanned many categories: home décor, personal accessories, tea, clothing, holiday items, and more. Attendees had the chance to discover new collections, deepen relationships, and explore the breadth of creativity and impact that fair trade enterprises bring to communities around the world.
The conference also featured a successful Retailer Summit, which was a dedicated gathering designed to equip retailers with new ideas and tactics for building thriving stores. Covering visual merchandising, customer service, online sales, and community engagement, the summit left participants energized and ready to enhance their businesses.
The breakout sessions and open forums throughout the conference gave attendees the chance to dive deep into concepts relevant to their businesses covering topics such as marketing fundamentals, storytelling, sustainability, tariffs, fashion, and the handmade process. These sessions offered both practical tools and fresh perspectives, empowering participants to sharpen their strategies and strengthen their impact.
A special thank you goes to our St. Louis-based members, Zee Bee Market and Gitzell Fairtrade International, for welcoming us to their city with such generosity. With a lively celebration at Zee Bee Market and insightful warehouse tour at Gitzell Fairtrade, their hospitality gave us a deeper connection to the local fair trade community and made our time in St. Louis even more memorable!
As the 2025 conference & expo came to a close, the energy, ideas, and connections carried forward by attendees underscored the strength of our community. The gathering highlighted the resilience and creativity that define fair trade.
Together, we left St. Louis with renewed commitment, fresh collaborations, and a shared vision for advancing responsible trade in the years ahead.
Our next conference & expo will take place in Spring 2027. Stay tuned for dates and location.
Questions? Email us at conference@fairtradefederation.org.
