Paul Rice is an Award Winning Social Entrepreneur and a pioneer in the global Fair Trade and sustainability movements. Driven by a lifelong commitment to reducing poverty and environmental harm, he has spent more than four decades building innovative models that harness the power of business and consumer choice to improve livelihoods and protect the planet. In 1998, he founded Fair Trade USA in a one-room warehouse in Oakland, transforming it into the leading Fair Trade certifier in North America and mobilizing more than 1,700 brands and retailers to support more responsible global supply chains.

Prior to launching Fair Trade USA, Paul spent 11 years working alongside family farmers in Nicaragua, where he founded the country’s first Fair Trade organic coffee export cooperative. This firsthand experience shaped his vision to bring Fair Trade into the mainstream U.S. market and demonstrated the tangible impact ethical sourcing can have on farming communities worldwide. Today, he is widely recognized as a leading voice in sustainable sourcing and conscious capitalism, advancing practical solutions that align economic success with social and environmental progress.