Stephanie Vasquez, the owner of Fair Trade on North First Avenue, is a native Phoenician and grew up in Maryvale. 

She is a graduate of Arizona State University and is the owner of the longest standing Latina-owned coffee house in downtown Phoenix. 

“When you link your arms and you're connected to your community, you support them, and they support you, and it becomes this just cohesive experience, which leads to success,” she said. 

Vasquez has served as the owner of Fair Trade for about 18 years. She said she decided to start Fair Trade after traveling to Costa Rica and realizing the detrimental impacts consumption has on the environment.

“I just thought we need to wake up and have another option on how we can consume,” she said. 

The other option was a fair-trade agreement, a business practice in which Vasquez pays a fair price to producers so that they can sufficiently pay their employees, treat them fairly and avoid harming the environment. Although this practice is more expensive for Vasquez, she said she wants to feel good about her business practices. 

“I want to have a meaningful business that leaves a legacy of care for one another and love for one another and respect for one another, that it's not simply about making money,” she said. 

In terms of employment, Fair Trade has 20 workers. However, Vasquez called them her friends and family. 

Carmen Rodriguez, an employee at Fair Trade, agreed with Vasquez and said the cafe is like a second home for her. 

“I think it's better than working with your brothers and sisters. We get along so much, and there's a lot of love,” she said. 

Vasquez’s business philosophy also extends to her food items, which are all made in-house and are locally sourced, she said. She said the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are the customers’ favorite item.

Her favorite item is a coffee known as “The Phoenix,” which is one of many coffees and teas that are fair-trade certified, according to Vasquez.

“The Phoenix” is a cold brew with an origin bean from Nayarit, Mexico. Vasquez said she gets 70% of her coffee from the farm in Nayarit, which is a three-generation family-owned farm.  

She said she is also sourcing beans from a farm in Guatemala and a farm in Peru. However, she said running Fair Trade is not without challenges. Vasquez said her biggest challenge with the cafe is self-doubt. 

“I think we are fearful, and those things slow us down and minimize our work,” she said. 

Despite challenges, she said she has many allies within the downtown community. Fair Trade draws in the community by hosting poetry nights, book talks, a monthly art rotation and more, according to Vasquez. 

She also founded Mujeres Mercado, a market of Latina-owned businesses in Phoenix. Vasquez said she knows how difficult entrepreneurship is from her own experiences, and she feels responsible to provide a space for Latina-owned businesses to thrive. Vasquez even shares this mindset with other coffee shops in the area. 

She said she has no competitors and that there is space for all of the different types of coffee shops downtown. 

Jace Musfelt, the owner of Valley Coffee Company, which is just down the street from Fair Trade, said he agreed with Vasquez’s sentiments. 

“It’s been really amazing opening this shop and then just seeing acceptance of all the other shops. It was really nice to be able to step into the community,” he said. 

He even said that the owners of some of the coffee shops downtown visit each other's cafes and attend each other's events when they can.  

As the cafe celebrates its 18th year downtown, Vasquez said the success of the community depends on the success of these small businesses. 

“The impact that small businesses have on our economy is huge. So go out to eat, swipe your card at that boutique, and support each other,” she said.