Bob Thomson: Celebrating 30 Years of Fairtrade Canada
To celebrate 30 years of Fairtrade in Canada, we sat down with pioneers of the movement to hear their stories, learn about their fight for social justice, and discover their hopes and dreams for the future.
This is Bob Thomson, founder of Fairtrade Canada.
Bob Thomson is a lifelong activist. From his early days as a CUSO volunteer in Peru to his work with Oxfam and Fair Trade Mark Canada, Bob has championed social justice and fair trade across the globe. Over decades, he’s worked with NGOs throughout Latin America, Africa, and beyond, always advocating for sustainable development and human rights. This is only a small part of his incredible story.
The Beginnings of Fairtrade Canada
The seed for Fair Trade Mark Canada, which would later become Fairtrade Canada, was planted when Bob joined Oxfam Canada’s Program Committee. At the time, Oxfam had recently acquired Bridgehead, a small business started by four people committed to bringing fair trade coffee to Canadian consumers. When the chair of Bridgehead’s board resigned, Bob stepped up, sparking a journey that would reshape fair trade in Canada.
Wanting to get into the North American market, the international fair trade body now known as Fairtrade International asked him to become a board member. After traveling to Europe and talking to established fair trade organizations in countries like The Netherlands and Germany, Bob returned with a blueprint for certification in Canada. With a vision and support from like-minded individuals, he established what would eventually become the Fairtrade label in Canada, with Nova Scotia’s Just Us! Coffee as the first Canadian licensee. The original Fair Trade Mark Canada logo, Bucketboy, can still be found on some products across Canada.
The real turning point came in the mid-1990s when Bob met Martin Kuntz from Fair Trade Germany, the precursor to Fairtrade International. Martin encouraged Bob to establish a fair trade certification subsidiary in Canada, and Bob soon incorporated the Fair Trade Mark Canada non-profit. “I incorporated a non-profit with $200 and three letters,” he chuckles.
The original Fair Trade Mark Canada logo, Bucketboy
Building Bridges Across Churches, Corporations, and Communities
Fair Trade Mark Canada gained momentum thanks to Bob’s connections with interchurch committees and human rights organizations. Dennis Howlett, a fellow activist, helped Bob rally churches across Canada for a 1998 Lenten campaign promoting fair trade coffee. The campaign reached around 300 churches, introducing Bridgehead coffee to Canadians and laying the groundwork for a wider movement.
Bob’s work with the Coffee Association of Canada and the Specialty Coffee Association of America was another key chapter in Fairtrade Canada’s history. Initially, industry leaders viewed fair trade as a threat to their profit margins, but Bob was undeterred. He organized meetings and trips, exposing Canadian roasters to the struggles of coffee farmers. On one trip to Mexico, he took coffee executives to meet farmers and see firsthand the realities of their lives. “They saw the need for fairer pricing,” Bob shares, an experience that led to new partnerships and increased acceptance of fair trade across the country.
People First
One of Bob’s most powerful memories of Fairtrade’s influence came from a coffee farmer he met in Oaxaca, Mexico. The farmer showed him the smoke-free stove his family had bought with Fairtrade Premium funds, explaining how it improved air quality and saved his family’s health. “That stove meant they were almost the only ones in the village who weren’t having lung problems,” he says. The efficient stove also allowed the farmer’s wife to gather firewood less frequently, giving her an extra day each week to focus on family and community work.
Bob always believed that fair trade was about more than certification — that it was about giving people more control over their future. His work is rooted in the conviction that people everywhere deserve a fairer price for their labour and the chance to build better lives for themselves and their communities.
A Life Shaped by Activism
Bob Thomson’s commitment to social justice began long before Fair Trade Mark Canada. From 1968 to 1970, he worked as a CUSO volunteer in Peru, where he witnessed firsthand the social inequities faced by rural communities. This experience, along with his later activism in Chile and Latin America, shaped his approach to social justice.
Losing his federal government job at CIDA for having leaked Canada’s Ambassador to Chile’s cables supporting the brutal 1973 military overthrow of the democratically elected Allende government, Bob, determined to change the system, then joined CUSO as their Latin America Project Officer in 1974-76, and also served as Projects Division Director and temporary Fundraising Director. It was then that he visited a co-op founded by his soon-to-be friend, Father Frans van der Hoff, the Dutch missionary whose work was foundational to Fairtrade International.
Bob’s career included work as CUSO’s Caribbean Field Officer, supporting community projects and social change across the region, then as an evaluation consultant for Canadian NGOs, and later confronting OECD Export Credit agencies from Paris, pushing them to respect the environmental and human rights criteria for the billions of dollars they invest around the world.
Bob received the Canadian Business for Social Responsibility award for “Ethics in Action” in 1999, and the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) award in 2013.
Bob Thomson’s Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) award received in 2013
Lessons for the Next Generation of Activists
Reflecting on his activism journey, Bob sees himself as a catalyst within a larger movement. He encourages younger generations to get involved, reminding them that real change is a collaborative effort. His legacy shows that change begins with ordinary people who care enough to act — small steps that, over time, lead to significant shifts.
It often happens on the fringes. We do little things, but they give some hope.
For activists today, Bob Thomson’s journey offers inspiration and guidance. He is proof that, even in the face of systemic inequities, it’s possible to create structures that uplift communities.
Bob Thomson’s Canadian Business for Social Responsibility award for “Ethics in Action” received in 1999
A Lasting Legacy of Fairness and Justice
Bob Thomson’s journey is a powerful testament to what one person can achieve through a commitment to community, fairness, social justice, and change. By bringing Fairtrade into the Canadian market, he undoubtedly helped improve the lives of farmers and workers around the world. He has also inspired a generation of activists. From establishing Fair Trade Mark Canada to bridging social justice causes and corporate practices, Bob’s work illustrates the relentless drive needed to shift systems — and his path remains a guiding light for anyone committed to making the world a fairer place.
Inspired by his journey? Think of it as a call to action — a reminder that, with determination and a willingness to challenge the status quo, each of us can contribute to a fairer world.
We can change the world. This is what some of the people in our generation did – you can do it in the next generation too.
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