User:A Greater Gift
SERRV International
[edit]SERRV International is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, alternative trade and development organization started in 1949. It began as a program of the Church of the Brethren as a way to help refugees in Europe recover economically and socially from World War II. The name SERRV is an acronym for Sales Exchange for Refugee Rehabilitation and Vocation. It first imported wooden cuckoo clocks from Germany to Maryland to sell in the U.S.
The program grew from assisting WWII refugees to working with impoverished people throughout the world. SERRV began importing handicrafts from the world's least developed countries as a way to alleviate poverty. By 1960, with the help of Church World Service, a nation-wide network of churches were selling SERRV crafts as part of their mission work. In 1964, the first full-time director was hired and three staff members were appointed.
In 1999, SERRV International split from the Church of the Brethren to become an independent 501(c)3 organization. Sales at this time had reached more than $5.5 million and the product line branched out into fair trade coffee and chocolate as well as handicrafts. SERRV became the U.S. distributor of Fair Trade Divine Chocolate, the first farmer-owned chocolate company in the world.
In 2001, in addition to marketing fair trade products, the organization stepped up its efforts as a development organization. Development projects included grants to producers for equipment, skill training workshops, and design assistance. In 2004, the organization launched a new marketing identity called A Greater Gift. Shortly after that, it launched EQUO Foods, its own fair trade foods brand.
With the worsening conditions in Africa, SERRV launched a multi-year Focus on Africa campaign in 2005 to increase its work on the continent. By 2006, overall sales for the organization was rapidly approaching $10 million with steady, double-digit growth. It currently works with 85 small-scale, cooperatively run producer groups in 35 countries.
SERRV International is a founding member of the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) and the Fair Trade Federation. It follows the internationally recognized fair trade principles of fair wage, gender equality, long-term relationships, concern for the environment, democratic decision making, safe working conditions, respect for culture, and prohibition of child exploitation.