Fairtrade is a movement seeking a better price for farmers in the developing world, ensuring that producers can sell their goods under fair conditions and that they can use Fairtrade benefits to contribute to their sustainable development.

The Fairtrade Labeling Organization International (FLO-e.V.), founded in 1997, is the worldwide standard setting and certification organization for the Fairtrade label.

FLO is made up of two organizations:

• The Multi-stakeholder, FLO-e.V., develops and reviews standards and assists producers to gain and maintain certification and to capitalize on market opportunities. It works with local liaison officers who help producers participate in Fairtrade.
• FLO Certification Ltd (FLO-Cert.) ensures that producers and traders comply with Fairtrade standards, and that producers invest the benefits received through Fairtrade in their economic and social development. To ensure that, FLO-Cert. works with over 60 local inspectors. Additionally, it has adopted the Quality Management System ISO 65, a worldwide quality standard assuring the highest credibility for certification organizations.

National Fairtrade Initiatives (NIs) are non-profit associations, as is FLO-e.V., which promote Fairtrade in their national markets and are FLO members. There are currently over 20 NIs, mainly in Europe and North America.

Consumers are asked to pay a premium price for the product. This premium enables producers to receive a minimum price plus a premium that is then invested to further their economic and social development. The costs of running the Fairtrade system are shared by all stakeholders through a fee system.

In 2003, Dole Europe signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FLO. Following the signing of the agreement, COPDEBAN (Dole Peru) became a FLO registered exporter allowing it to buy organic bananas from Fairtrade certified banana groups in the Chira Valley of Peru. A Dole subsidiary in Europe became registered by FLO as an importer in order to be able to trade the Peruvian bananas under the Fairtrade mark.

Today, Dole has signed agreements with NIs in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom for the distribution of Fairtrade organic bananas from Peru and the Dominican Republic, Fairtrade grapes from Namibia and Fairtrade organic pineapples from Costa Rica.