FLO certification provides access (www.fairtrade.net) to all FLO member organizations. Participating
organizations of small coffee growers must meet criteria consisting of
requirements against which the producers will actually be monitored. (Look for
Generic Fairtrade Standards for Small Farmers' Organizations on the same
website.) Criteria include:
- Minimum entry requirements which all must meet
when joining Fairtrade, or within a specified period.
- Progress requirements, i.e. show improvement over
the longer term.
Application
procedure. The applying organization directs its request to FLO
International. The certification unit of FLO sends an application pack to the
applicant, containing general information on FLO and the Fairtrade market, FLO
standards, detailed information on the initial certification process and the
application form. If the first evaluation, based on the application form, is
positive, the applying organization will be visited by an FLO inspector who will
examine the organization on the basis of the minimum requirements of FLO. All
relevant information is then presented to the FLO Certification Committee
charged with the certification of new producer groups. Once approved the
certification will be formalized by means of a signed producer agreement with
FLO and a certificate indicating the duration of validity of the certification
(to be renewed every two years).