Taraluna Fair Trade, Organic and Green Gifts

Taraluna was featured in the 2009 holiday edition of Vegetarian Times in the gift-o-rama section for our organic dog toys. Woof!

Another review from The Chocolate Priestess who takes chocolate VERY seriously. Here is a small sample:

"The coin has a very milk chocolatey smell to it when I lift this 1.5 inch diameter piece to my nose. It tastes creamy and easily melts in my mouth. There is also a hint of vanilla, though none is listed on the ingredients. This is a deeper chocolate than many Americans may be familiar with since it contains at least 27% cocoa solids and 10% milk solids. The result is an amazing two-bite coin that leaves my mouth tingling."

For a full review please visit The Choculate Cult Saturday Sacrament October 10th, 2009. To see all chocolate reviews visit The Chocolate Cult Blogspot!

The Chocolate Priestess (TammyJo Eckhart, PhD.) reviews our Vegan Truffle's - here is an excerpt:

"Considering the quality of the truffles and their social/economic policies, I have to say that these vegan truffles from Taraluna are a worthy choice as a Saturday Sacrament. Just try out different flavors and see what works for you best, and use them in moderation to assist you on your Path toward the Divine or as a wonderful socially-conscious reward."

For full review visit The Chocolate Cult Saturday Sacrament July 25th, 2009. To see all chocolate reviews visit The Chocolate Cult Blogspot!

Feathering the Nest:
Tracy Hutson's Earth-Friendly Guide to Decorating Your Baby's Room

Stewart, Tabori & Chang (May 1, 2009)

The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget

Casablanca: December, 2008

• This Valentine's, Dianovo.com invites you to show the Earth how much you love her, by sending an Eco-Valentine and planting a tree for FREE! From now until midnight on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2007, Dianovo.com will plant a tree for every Eco-Valentine sent through the site that results in a new member.
• More than 1 billion Valentine's greeting cards are sent each year. Most made from virgin trees rather than recycled fibers. By sending Eco-Valentines, you not only save trees, you also plant new ones! And, it doesn't cost you a cent.
• The tab for all of this is being picked up by Dianovo, Inc. and the Dianovo Foundation. Their way of showing their love for Mother Earth this Valentine's.
• The member who sends the most Eco-Valentines and plants the most trees, will receive a special Valentine's gift of one bottle of perfume of his/her choice worth $185 from the luxury botanical perfume house, Strange Invisible Perfumes.
• The member who sends the second most, will receive a special Valentine's gift of a $100 gift certificate from TARALUNA, a beautiful source for fair trade and organic goods.
• Each tree planted will sequester around 1.33 tons of CO2 over the next 70 to 100 years.
• These trees will be planted in areas in Northern California that have been deforested by wildfires in recent years.
• According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, almost 1 million acres of trees have been lost in the last 5 years alone to forest fires in California.
  

Better Nutrition
December 2006
Gifts that give back
Lisa Turner

Tired of buying the same gifts year after year - you know, those scented candles or fuzzy slippers? This year, go shopping for presents that help people all over the world. You've decked the halls, hung the mistletoe, lit the menorah and trimmed the tree. But what have you done to create a deeper connection to the true spirit of the holidays? If you're looking for an easy way to remember the reason for the season, start with your holiday purchases.

This year, make your dollars count, and support someone besides the chain clothing and toy stores at your local shopping mall. These nine buys may change the world - or at least someone's life.

Taraluna - Veggie and Hat Set
What to get the baby who has everything? Try a carrot or tomato shaped hat with a matching toy from Taraluna. Made from organic cotton grown on a Fair Trade farm in Egypt, the hats and veggies are toxin and pesticide free. Also featured: organic cotton sleeping dolls ($10.00), bamboo fiber baby washcloths (set of four for $12.00) and organic cotton veggies and create kids' toy ($30.00). Hat set $15.00; taraluna.com.

Each year, millions of Americans face holiday shopping with fear and anxiety. For many, today's holiday culture encourages everyone to focus on getting lots of stuff. But many religious traditions instruct us that true joy and purpose come from focusing on the needs of others. So why not combine the two by picking the perfect present AND helping a worthy cause?

Taraluna, taraluna.com, (877) 325-9129, carries environmentally friendly, socially responsible gifts from around the world - jewelry, handcrafts, women's accessories and items for baby, bath, home and garden.

(Eureka, CA.) Lighting up is good for you, your pocketbook and the planet. How you ask? Simple, all you have to do is make the switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs which are better for the environment, save money and last longer than incandescent bulbs. If every American changed just one incandescent bulb to a CFL bulb, enough energy would be saved to light 2.5 million homes according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Taraluna - Fair Trade, Organic & Green Gifts kicks off its "Holiday Lights Campaign" by giving away an 18 watt CFL bulb (equivalent to a 75 watt incandescent bulb) with every $50.00 purchase from their online store and selling the bulbs for $3.00 each. Its goal is to encourage giving the gift of light by adding Energy Star certified CFL bulbs to holiday gift lists for friends, family and employees. Read More

Tyson Ritter/The Eureka Reporter
Taraluna owner Penny Schafer stands in front of her booth during the Old Town Fourth of July fair last week. Schafer sees events like this as an opportunity to attract local customers to her business, which operates via a Web site.

The Eureka Reporter - Business

Summer festivals provide exposure for small businesses
by Courtney Hunt-Munther, 7/10/2006

Although most fairgoers may see the summer events as a time to relax and enjoy nice weather, many small business owners see them as opportunities to get acquainted with the public, and better yet, for the public to become acquainted with them.

Among the many booths at Old Town’s Independence Day celebration last week was one in particular that greatly benefits from summer fairs. Local fair-trade gift store Taraluna operates via a Web site (www.taraluna.com) and occupies no physical space locally.

Owner Penny Schafer jumps on opportunities like the Fourth of July fair and Fortuna’s AutoXpo to get her business’ name out in the community. Through her Web site, she sells merchandise to customers in Japan, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Canada and many places throughout the United States, but she doesn’t sell to many customers locally.

“With the Internet, I can sell to people all over the world but I would like to get local people, too,” she said. “My smallest (retail) component is Humboldt County, that’s why I’m trying to get out there.”

Schafer opened Taraluna last May in hope of creating a business she could “feel good about.” Everything Taraluna carries is fair trade, organic or green.

While she is looking to open a small shop on the North Coast in the near future, Schafer said she utilizes the local fairs to expose her business to the community.

“For me to get out and share my wares, it’s a really good opportunity,” Schafer added.

Right now, Schafer is working to get her merchandise into local retail shops and will have products at Cloud Nine Salon in Eureka soon. Taraluna will also have a booth at the Fortuna AutoXpo and Annie and Mary Days in Blue Lake later this month, as well as at the Organic Planet festival in Halvorsen Park.

Taraluna as seen on All Organic Links.

Site of the Week - March 6-13, 2006

KTEH TV - San Francisco PBS Holiday Auction

Taraluna donated this beautiful All Organic Baby Basket to KTEH TV Holiday Auction.
November 1st, 2005

This beautiful gift basket is filled with safe, organic, natural and sustainable products for your little bundle of joy or to give as a gift. Included are Bamboo Baby socks and blanket - soft and comfy, bamboo is naturally anti-microbial and thermal regulating. We've added a number of Fair Trade organic Egyptian cotton products from Under the Nile, a long sleeved "Veggin' Out" lap shoulder tee with matching hat, bib and two organic vegetable toys - only natural dyes used so they are safe for baby. We've also included Angel Baby Lotion, all natural and organic for tender skin, and an "Organic Baby" lap shoulder tee made from organic cotton - all bundled together in a reusable fair trade bamboo basket with a bright red bow!

Hello. I won the high bid at the KTEH auction in November 2005 for your gift basket of baby items. We are SO happy with everything you sent! I've never considered bamboo clothing before and it is wonderfully soft. Our little guy just loves the toy veggies (especially the green bean) too.

Thank you so much for the generous donation to KTEH. I always find great new things at their auction and couldn't be happier winning the bid for your donated gift. I'm happy to have discovered your products through them & will definitely visit your website for future purchases. It's been a pleasure dealing with your business.

Thank you,
- Lynn M.
San Francisco, CA

BUST
Editors Pick
The Girl Wide Web

Sizzling New Links:
Taraluna: Fair Trade, Organic and Green Gifts - Environmentally friendly and socially responsible fair trade, organic or otherwise green gifts, jewelry, bath & spa, home & garden, handcrafts, women's accessories and baby products from the U.S. and around the world. We offer an alternative to mass produced, chemically infused, and sweatshop labor products. We have brought together some of the best there is to offer in fair trade gifts and natural products. If you are a conscious consumer looking for more, welcome to our store. (Added: 2005-10-13)

Fair Trade Alliance Member Profiles
Members of Co-op America's Fair Trade Alliance represent a diversity of workplaces, schools, faith congregations,
businesses, and community groups all united by a passion for Fair Trade. Each month, we'll run one or more profiles of Fair Trade Alliance members and tell you about what they are doing in their communities to promote Fair Trade.

Taraluna
Penny Schafer, the owner and founder of Taraluna, believes strongly in the word "fair." After spending many years in job environments that were not conducive to fair principles, she has gone with her instinct and opened her own company committed to principles of fairness for all. Penny believes that there is no place for intolerance and bigotry in our world. Participating in the Fair Trade system is a way for her to promote her values.

Taraluna is an online company with the mission "to offer alternative choices in products based on values of fair compensation to artisans, promotion of healthy and safe working environments and social and environmental responsibility." The website acts as an ordering form for Fair Trade, organic, and green gifts. You can find anything from accessories, cosmetics, and functional art to organic baby products, natural spa products, and candles. Each product is either from a member of the Fair Trade Federation or from Co-op America's National Green Pages. Taraluna is designed to help the consumer know that the purchases they are making are sustainable and ensuring that they truly are changing the world "one small purchase at a time."

The business was launched May 10, 2005 and has already begun to thrive. Check out the website to learn more about Taraluna and to make your next Fair Trade purchase! To visit Taraluna online go to www.taraluna.com