From Farm to Market

continued

At the end of July, the Mission Marketplace on Middle Street reopened as Global Marketplace. "We're working with the same artisan groups and still selling 100 percent fair trade," explains Kevin Frahm, who now owns the store with his wife, Denise. Kevin says he wanted to continue running the store after the non-profit Mission Marketplace board decided to focus on education and advocacy and remove itself from the retail side of the business.

He's expanding online sales of the store's products--which are made by economically impoverished people from developing nations--and plans to introduce fair trade house parties ("like Tupperware parties but with fair trade merchandise") and fund-raising programs that let groups sell fair-trade products to raise money for their cause. He also plans a line of private label chocolate bars and coffee.

Global Marketplace, 115 W. Middle St., 475-7604, Sun. Noon-5 p.m., Mon.-Wed. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Thurs.-Sat. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. www.globalmarketplacechelsea.com   

[Originally published in October, 2012.]