Our vision: leader in the promotion of “Organic Way of Life” and “Fair Trade“
Green Net’s mission is “To serve as a marketing channel for small-scale organic farmers, incorporating fair-trade principles in its marketing activities” by combining organic agriculture and fair-trade as its core policies.
Green Net’s motto is “Live Fair, Live Organic”
Short Profile
Green Net Cooperative (GNC) is a registered “Service Cooperative” under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperative since December 1993. GNC is a social enterprise working to promote organic farming and fair trade. It is a kind of national umbrella cooperative working in partnerships with a dozen of sub-district based producer cooperatives and farmer organizations. Together with GNC’s sister organization, the Earth Net Foundation (ENF), their producer partner groups spread from Chiang Mai in the North to Prajuab Kirikan in the South as well as Yasothorn and Korn Khaen in the Northeast.
With around 14 organic producers groups, the GNC’s product ranges include various type of organic rice products (e.g. Jasmine rice, red rice, non-glutenous black rice, broken rice, rice bran, rice bran oil), coconut products (e.g. coconut milk, virgin coconut oil, coconut cream), vegetables, tropical fruits, herb, tea (e.g. mulberry, lemon grass, and other herbal), cashew nut, cotton T-shirt. In all cases, GNC manages or coordinates the whole supply chain of these products ourselves.
Around 30% of our sale comes from domestic markets (mainly to premium supermarket chains and green & health shops) while the main bulk comes exports. Key customers are fair trade importers in the European Union. We also exports to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
GNC is an active member of the IFOAM – Organics International and World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) as well as regional and local networks like the Thai Organic Trader Association and Thai Fair Trade Network. We regularly run or participate in organic or fair trade activities at national and international.
With the fair trade premium, as well as other connection, GNC together with ENF supports our farmer members to improve their food security and climate change resilience (adaptation) through various mechanisms such as technical knowledge, soft loan, disaster compensation scheme, organic vegetable seeds, and local climate forecast information.
Key Milestones
2019
* joined with other Thai social enterprises founding the Association of Socail Enterprise Thailand (SE Thailand)
2018
* Green Net Coop was approved by the National Social Enterprise Committee as a “social enterprise” in Thailand.
2017
* published a book in Thai language “Introduction to Fair Trade”
2016
* Green Net Coop became the first fair trade organization in Thailand completed the WFTP’s Fair Trade Guarantee Sytem
* together with the Earth Net Foundation, organize the supply chain of local cotton, launching the first orgnaic and fair trade t-shirt in the country
2015
* registered with the Department of Agriculture for production and sale of organic vegetable seeds
2014
* Green Net’s organic fertilizer was approved by the Department of Agriculture
2010
* Green Net Coop’s cashew nut project was approved by FLO, the first fairtrade cashew nut project in Thailand
2009
* Start exporting organic fair trade rice vinegar, produced from broken jasmine rice. The vinegar has both organic and fairtrade certifications
* Became the member of World Fair Trade Organization – Asia (WFTO-Asia) from April 2009
2008
* Started the packing services at the Rice Packing Unit in Yasothon with packing capacity of around 2 tons per day
2007
* Start exporting organic coconut milk to fair trade buyers in Europe
* Together with the Earth Net Foundation, we acquired a 20-rai land (around 3.2 ha) in Ban Don Ma Yang, Tambol Kan Noi, Kamkeankaew District, Yasothon to establish rice packing unit and organic agriculture center
* Joined with other private sector and local non-governmental organizations to establish a network “Thai Fair Trade Forum – TFTF” to promote fair trade in Thailand
2005
* Together with other private sector engaging in organic business, founded the Thai Organic Trader Association (TOTA). Representative from GNC served as the general secretary of the association.
2003
* Green Net Ccooperative became the membership of the then International Fair Trade Association (IFAT), now changed the name to World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO). Established in 1989, WFTO is an international organization of all fair trade practitioners.
* A big year for Green Net when it host several international event for one week, 2 – 9 November 2003. More than 200 people form 36 countries worldwide came to attend a series of event consist of:
- international seminar on “Justice in Sustainable Agriculture” organized by Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) and Social Accountability in Sustainable Agriculture (SASA), 2 – 5 Nov 03;
- regional workshop by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) on organic vegetable production and export from Asia, 3 – 5 Nov 03;
- IFOAM international trade conference, 6 – 8 Nov 03;
- IFOAM workshop on local marketing on 9 Nov 03.
2002
* Green Net Cooperative received registration as fairtrade rice producer by the Fairtrade Labeling Organization International (FLO). This enables the rice produced under the organic and fairtrade project to be labeled with FLO mark.
2001
* GNC joined the ENF and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative, and Organic Society (Thailand), IFOAM, and KF Supermarket (Sweden) organized the first “IFOAM Organic Shrimp Consultation”. Eighty six people participated in the event to discuss experiences in organic shrimp farming, organic shrimp standards, and specific recommendations to IFOAM Standard Committee on organic aquaculture standards.
1999
* Organized ” Half a Decade of Green Net” to review the experiences and lessons learnt as alternative market organization. Participants included organic farmers, green shop operators, NGOs, consumers and other interested people.
1998
* Green Net’s bi-monthly magazine was launched. The magazine is to promote organic farming, organic and health products, as well as social and environmental responsible lifestyle.
1997
* Several eco-tour activities were organized to bring consumers to visit organic vegetable farms and rural development activities. For instance, in collaboration with the Community Organization Development Project, a local NGOs in Chiangmai, Green Net organized a eco-tour to visit organic vegetables producers and community forestry activities in Mae Ta district of Chiangmai. Several eco-tours were organized in collaboration with TREE, in Suphanburi, to visit organic fruit and vegetable production.
1996
* Joined with Alternative Agriculture Network and IFOAM-Asia to host a workshop on “Certification for Organic Agriculture and Alternative Market”. The objective was to present working experience in organic agriculture, certification & standard including alternative market procedure in Asia. There were participants from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Srilanka and Thailand.
1995
* The then Nature Food Cooperative received rice export license registeration with the Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce. The export license allows the GN Coop to start exporting rice to Europe fairtrade organizations in Switzerland, Italy, France, German, and Belgium
* Attended the IFOAM-Asia conference at Soul, South Korea and presented a paper on organic agriculture development in Thailand. Also, applied for membership of International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). Green net is the first full member of IFOAM from Thailand.
* Joined with Alternative Agriculture Network publish “Alternative Agriculture Standard” booklet, the first draft of organic standards in Thailand for public consultation.
1994
* Open the Green Net Shop Senanivej Branch for retailing green shop
1993
* Green Net started trading of organic foods from various producer groups like organic vegetables from Non-Toxic Vegetable Producer Group in Mae Ta district of Chiang Mai and the Kok Ko Taw Producer Group in Suphanburi, palm sugar from Ampher Singhnakorn village, Shrimp paste Bangsakom Village Songkhla, Free-Chemical Sesami Oil from Thai Yai village Ban pangmoo Maehongson etc. In the initial stage, Green Net experimented several marketing strategies including mobile stalls at government office, office building, and business organizations, deliver to member home and office, and wholesale to health shops in Bangkok and other provinces.