We were thrilled to attend the launch of FairTrade USA’s founder and former CEO Paul Rice’s new book, Every Purchase Matters, on Monday, April 7, 2025. The event took place at the top of the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, which was a fitting location for this night of impact, purpose and values we share as a both a FairTrade partner and a Salesforce certified partner.
Paul’s book is now officially on Amazon, and we couldn’t be more excited to see his vision reach a wider audience.
We were thrilled to attend the launch of FairTrade USA’s founder and former CEO Paul Rice’s new book, Every Purchase Matters, on Monday, April 7, 2025. The event took place at the top of the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, which was a fitting location for this night of impact, purpose and values we share as a both a FairTrade partner and a Salesforce certified partner.
Paul’s book is now officially on Amazon, and we couldn’t be more excited to see his vision reach a wider audience.
A night to celebrate values
The night kicked off with opening remarks from Suzanne DiBianca, Salesforce Executive Vice President & Chief Impact Officer. She reminded us all of Salesforce’s foundational 1:1:1 model, the philanthropic approach in which the company donates 1% of its equity, 1% of its employees’ time, and 1% of its product to support communities around the world.
Suzanne’s speech was the perfect way to set the tone for a night dedicated to global impact and systems change, both of which are the heart of Salesforce and FairTrade USA.
Paul’s reflections
Paul’s talk focused on three core themes:
- Gratitude
He began by recognizing the people who’ve shaped his journey, from smallholder farmers and grassroots organizers to business leaders and longtime collaborators in the FairTrade movement. - Purpose
Writing Every Purchase Matters is Paul’s way of sharing his vision for FairTrade with more people. More than a memoir, he hopes it can inspire a movement. After years of growing FairTrade into a global force, he wanted to go deeper: to share the stories, values, and human impact that are often invisible to consumers. - Inspiration
One unforgettable story came from a visit to a FairTrade-certified rose farm in Ecuador, where Paul traveled with the CEO of Whole Foods. There, women did the majority of the work caring for roses in greenhouses, while men sprayed pesticides. Without proper safety regulations, the women were often sent back into the greenhouses too early, leading to shockingly high cancer rates. Thanks to FairTrade’s work, strict safety standards were introduced to protect workers' health.
And even more inspiring: the workers voted to use their FairTrade premium funds to build an on-site laundromat. Before that, they would spend their only day off hauling laundry to the river, often taking five hours just to clean clothes. With the new facility, they can now drop off laundry at the start of their shift and pick it up clean by the end of the day. It's a simple yet transformative improvement in their quality of life.
What it meant to us
As a longtime partner of FairTrade, this event was especially meaningful to the Modelit team.
We’ve always believed in the power of technology to drive ethical innovation, and seeing leaders like Paul and Suzanne bring together mission and execution so seamlessly inspires us to continue integrating impact into everything we do.
Looking ahead
Every Purchase Matters serves as a bold invitation to rethink the impact of our everyday choices. We left the event with full hearts, signed books, and a renewed commitment to building tools and partnerships that serve people and planet.
Because, as Paul so eloquently reminds us: every purchase really does matter.
