Fair Trade Egypt is a combined effort from several entities with a common goal: that of giving underprivileged artisans from the poorer sections of the country the opportunity to better themselves and their communities through the guidance of Fair Trade. 

   On a large scale, FTE is a link between the goods and their artisans on one side, as well as trading organizations and importers on the other. 

   The hand-manufactured goods and foodstuffs that FTE carries originate from small workshops and farms throughout Egypt. We deal with more than 30 artisans groups and their hundreds of traditionally-made, unique products. Our artisans specialize in a variety of items that span all kinds of uses, be it culinary, decorative or holistic.  

   Al Fayoum oasis brings us versatile baskets, glossy ceramics, rustic pottery and luxurious extra virgin olive oil cleansing bars, most of which have been expertly crafted for thousands of years. Cairo, the City of a Thousand Minarets, brings us antiqued recycled paper goods, fabric carpets, handbags, knit clothes, household accessories, brass jewelry and wall art from some of its developing neighborhoods. Luxurious cotton embroideries find their way into our store all the way from the isolated oasis of Siwa. Distinctive Bedouin kilims and cushion covers beautifully warm up our home, courtesy of the Sinai Peninsula and the North Coast. Even millenary Upper Egypt’s Aswan invites us to take a peek at the unique contributions of Nubian populations through its kaleidoscopic baskets. And that’s not all! Among many other pieces, FTE also carries artisan items such as buffalo horn figurines from the Delta, leather goods from the cliffs of the Red Sea, and, of course, world-renowned Egyptian cotton from the ancient southern towns of Akhmim and Naqada. 

   FTE relies on the financial support of international development programs to help fund its mission of assisting Egyptian artisans in dire need of keeping their method of subsistence afloat. One such organization is COSPE, a nonprofit entity which stands for Cooperation for the Development of Emerging Countries and which is, in turn, sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. North South Consultants Exchange (NSCE), a private Egyptian consulting firm, also sponsors our mission. COSPE and NSCE have been the driving engine behind FTE efforts since 1998.