Catholic Relief Services works to help improve the well-being of those in need, usually on the ground level of charities, while Equal Exchange works as a "friendly buyer" for small farmers and farming co-ops throughout the world. Even if the market forces prices down, Equal Exchange guarantees a fair wage for their products.
"If nothing else, this partnership is educating people about their connections with others," North explained. "Every day through the banana you buy, through the coffee you drink, you're connected to these people and you should think about that."
While most people are familiar with the constant fluctuation of marketplace prices, he said, what many people may not realize is the devastating impact these changes can have on producers in developing nations.
"That's one reason why they have low prices year after year after year so they can never escape their poverty, they can never scratch enough together to climb out of that hole," North said.
"Now that we know this sort of grim reality of how the marketplace works, we have choices; we're encouraging you to make this other choice to seek out fair-trade products where people are trying to do right by the small farmers, to give them a break," he added.
After buying products at a fair price, Equal Exchange then sells them online and gives churches and other community organizations the opportunity to sell them as well, particularly at annual fairs preceding Christmastime.