"Our big goal was to be a lobby for people in the Global South," as Richard Bruns, one of the founders of El Puente, tells it. It all started on June 23rd 1969, when a group of committed young people got together and founded the Ecumenical Working Group on Development Aid, which led exactly three years later to the founding of the El Puente Association in Hildesheim in 1972. In the spirit of optimism of the late 60s and early 70s, the founders had one goal: to build bridges. Bridges between continents, countries and above all people. Bridges based on respect and humanity. And this idea was quickly accepted. Within a very short time, the association had more than 160 members. In the summer of 1972, the young founders imported the first products from Paraguay to sell them in Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, and to draw attention to the exploitation of people in the Global South.

For us at El Puente, it has always been clear that trading partners from the countries of the Global South play a central role. That is why we have chosen a special corporate model: The entire supply chain is represented in our five shareholder groups. And this naturally included the trading partners. They are represented by the PaCo (Partner Committee) association. Around 20 Fair Trade organizations joined forces in 1997 and founded the PaCo e.V. - and since then they have helped determine the direction and future of El Puentes.

We at El Puente have always seen ourselves as more than just a trader. Development education and public relations have always been an important part of us. After all, there is a story behind every product. In order to put this area on a reliable long-term footing, we established the El Puente Foundation in 2001.