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When Kenan and Alison Netzger opened Cassella’s Kitchen 15 months ago, they made a conscious decision to offer something different. Their store of cookware, dishes and other kitchen accessories is sprinkled with “fair trade” products, a rare commodity in Muncie.

Fair trade practices emphasize relationships between workers, traders and consumers, and ensure that employees work in safe conditions, are paid fair wages and are mindful of the environment. Fair trade certification can come from a number of national and international groups, including TransFair USA and the Fair Trade Federation. In essence, the products are made by workers who do not work in sweatshops.

“It’s really more of a humanitarian approach to business, rather than a profit approach,” said Ione DeOllos, associate professor of sociology at Ball State University.

Cassella’s Kitchen, on Walnut Street, offers fair trade Numi tea, Bambu and Artifacts kitchenware and La Chamba pottery. All of the products come from businesses that work directly with artisans, promising them a fair profit. La Chamba, for example, comes from a group of women in Colombia. Some of their past profits have gone to build a childcare center.

That kind of connection is why Kenan Netzger said he supports fair trade.

“It’s about taking an ethical stance,” he said. “Treating human beings fairly, making sure money and benefits go to the people that make the products.”

Some outlets in Muncie for fair trade goods include Cassella’s Kitchen, Alliance World Coffees at the Muncie Alliance Church, some Starbucks locations and Compulsion Coffee, which is sold at the Minnetrista Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.

Alliance World Coffees offers fair trade products from Bolivia, Ethiopia and Colombia. According to its mission statement, what Alliance values most are the people involved in the coffee-making process.

“Each step along the way, we are committed to making decisions to ensure the relationships involved in creating a good cup of coffee are mutually beneficial,” the statement says.

Despite the abundance of fair trade coffee, DeOllos said it can be difficult to find other fair trade products. However, she said, people should look out for them and buy them whenever they can to take a stance against the exploitation of cheap labor in other countries.

“If we’re truly concerned about people, it makes sense to buy fair trade,” she said. She added that people should be treated fairly regardless of where they reside.

Some stores, such as Global Gifts and Ten Thousand Villages, have a mission to sell only fair trade products. There are two Global Gifts locations in Indianapolis and one Ten Thousand Villages in Fort Wayne.