Currently retail sales in the Philippines stand at around USD100,000 (€88,000). General Manager of Fairtrade Philippines, Sandy de Veyra, is optimistic: “The market here is ready to embrace Fairtrade,” he says. “It has all the essential components: there is a rise in the number of retail stores selling Fairtrade; there are small producer organizations and hired labour organizations wanting to sell their produce locally, mature commercial partners and a rising middle class who are socially aware and have the buying capacity, and the growing awareness of ethical consumerism.”