Why Chocolate is Even Sweeter When it is “Fair Trade”
What is fair trade in the Chocolate business? In the end, does it matter?
Fair Trade is a movement which strives for fair treatment for farmers. This can be an especially important principle when it comes to chocolate production. Many cocoa farmers around the world are not a part of fair trade. They cannot always afford to send their children to school, or even to feed them. Those who farm cocoa, the plant from which chocolate is made, are often struggling to get by. Sometimes children will even skip school to help in the cocoa fields, so their families can get by on what they are paid. Organizations like Oxfam are working with impoverished people around the world and raising awareness about buying fair trade.
The stories are life-changing, like this one about a cocoa farmer in Ghana: In a small village in Ghana, Lucy Mansa grows and sells cocoa beans for a living. The price she receives for these cocoa beans is often very low. There was little these farmers could do about this unfair arrangement.
There was little these farmers could do about this unfair arrangement. But in 1997, that all changed when cocoa farmers decided to band together to form their own company called Kuapa Kokoo. The name means “good cocoa farmer,” and these good farmers started to get exactly what they deserved a fair price for their crop, delivered on time and in cash.
Crops from these farms go to making chocolate bars that are sold in many Oxfam shops as well as large retailers like Whole Foods and smaller local distributors of healthy chocolate and organic chocolate products. Money from fair trade business arrangements is often put back into their community in the form of new wells and community facilities that improve local qulity of life. This is important because worldwide demand for chocolate products is increasing.
News of chocolate’s health benefits has opened up a whole new market for the industry, since studies have shown a link between cocoa content in chocolate to reduced risk of stroke, cancer, and even high blood pressure. That means more consumers are looking for a higher quality chocolate, and much of this chocolate is being supplied by companies and individual Healthy Chocolate distributors who know their product is coming to them from Fair Trade supply chains.
Other countries and organizations are now getting in on the action, throwing their support behind Fair Trade in chocolate supply. The Body Shop, a U.K. based company, the relief organization Christian Aid and Comic Relief, a group that uses comedy to raise money to fight poverty worldwide, have all supported Kuapa Kokoo. Kuapa Kokoo farmers now receive a fair trade price of $1600, which is close to the global market price, and $150 social premium for every ton of cocoa. According to allAfrica.com, roughly 20,000 farmers currently benefit from participation in the cooperative.
Well known health food stores and distributors are taking note of this social movement, and are carrying fair trade brand chocolate. They include Whole Foods, HealthyChocolateShop.com, Wild Oats and Trader Joe’s.
So the next time you get that chocolate craving, look at the label for “fair trade,” or read about the chocolate company’s corporate responsibility practices. It could do your body, and your conscience, a lot of good!
Eat Healthy chocolate? This isnt a myth ! Healthy dark chocolate can be found that is both delicious as well as ethically produced. Fair trade guidelines are supported by businesses and marketers to promote sustainable farming methodologies and to produce a premier product. Find out more by visiting the Healthy Chocolate Shop!