Divine in Sierra Leone
March 08, 2010 @ 12:46 PM
Our friends at Divine Chocolate have just announced that they’ve begun sourcing Fair Trade cocoa from Sierra Leone. This is exciting news for all of us, and we wanted to share the highlights. You can read the whole article here.
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Divine Chocolate…is delighted to announce that, for the first time chocolate lovers can enjoy premium Fair Trade Certified cocoa from Sierra Leone in all of Divine’s chocolate delights.
Sierra Leone was ravaged by a decade-long brutal civil war which ended eight years ago. Rebuilding has been difficult. This first Fair Trade shipment of cocoa out of the country is a sign of hope that the fortunes and prospects of the country’s farmers can be turned.
The first container of cocoa from Sierra Leone’s only Fair Trade Certified cooperative Kpeya Agricultural Enterprise (KAE), was purchased by Divine Chocolate and is of the required quality to be included in the Divine recipe. Kuapa Kokoo, the Ghanaian co-operative that significantly owns Divine Chocolate agreed to include this shipment in their brand as a sign of support for fellow cocoa farmers in Sierra Leone.
Erin Gorman, Divine Chocolate’s CEO in the USA says:
“The partnership between KAE, Divine and Kuapa Kokoo is a shining example…
The Big Swap: Shea Butter
March 05, 2010 @ 09:00 AM
This entry continues our Big Swap series with shea butter. The Big Swap is a simple idea: for the next two weeks, swap out something you buy regularly for the Fair Trade alternative. Coffee, chocolate, cutting boards, bananas, and more. Learn more.
The Broken System
Shea butter has a rich history; the traditions of making it passed through generations of African women. It is well known as “women’s gold” because it is often the only source of income for economically marginalized women. Unfortunately, most shea butter on the market in the United States and Europe is not fairly traded meaning that the women who actually gather and hand craft the oil receive a fraction of the price… Read more
Fair Trade Shea Butter from producers like Alaffia has the power to change lives of the cooperative members. Very specifically, Alaffia was formed to help West African communities become sustaimable through the fair trade of indigenous resources, like shea. Women in West Africa have been excluded from the formal education sector which means they cannot read or write, making them less valuable as employees… Read more
The Big Swap: Rice
March 04, 2010 @ 09:00 AM
This entry continues our Big Swap series with rice. The Big Swap is a simple idea: for the next two weeks, swap out something you buy regularly for the Fair Trade alternative. Coffee, chocolate, cutting boards, bananas, and more. Learn more.
The Broken System
According to the Educational Network for Global and Grassroots Exchange (ENGAGE), rice is a main staple for 3 billion people around the world and employs over 1 billion farmers on all continents except Antarctica and yet world prices have fallen for rice farmers. In Thailand, the world’s biggest rice exporter, 68% of farmers have debt that is three times their income… Read more
Fair Trade Rice is not only of highest quality but ensures that farmers can get out of debt and care for their families. Organic Fair Trade Rice, like our rice from Alter-Eco further ensures sustainability for the environment. Due to the changes in farming methods, soil fertility is improved and there is no longer chemical runoff into local rivers which was negatively impacting wildlife… Read more
The Big Swap: Household Items
March 03, 2010 @ 12:53 PM
This entry continues our Big Swap series with household items. The Big Swap is a simple idea: for the next two weeks, swap out something you buy regularly for the Fair Trade alternative. Coffee, chocolate, cutting boards, bananas, and more. Learn more.
The Broken System
The earth is too often ignored, abused, and destroyed in order to produce the items we use, eat, and wear every day. This often happens without our knowledge or permission, but it happens nonetheless.
One aspect of this abuse is deforestation, which continues at an alarming rate… Read more
Fair Trade means environmental sustainability. It’s as simple as that. Fair Trade certification ensures that both people and planet are being afforded the dignity and respect that they deserve. Each Big Swap thus far has focused on labor issues, and rightfully so, but today we’re focusing on the environmental impact your purchases can have… Read more
The Big Swap: Tea
March 02, 2010 @ 12:00 PM
This entry continues our Big Swap series with tea. The Big Swap is a simple idea: for the next two weeks, swap out something you buy regularly for the Fair Trade alternative. Coffee, chocolate, cutting boards, bananas, and more. Learn more.
The Broken System
Much like the chocolate and coffee we have already featured in The Big Swap, tea is yet another fixture in our daily routines that starts with a complicated process and often mis-treated workers. Much of the tea we drink originates from the mountains in Africa and southeast Asia. Good crops require high altitudes and good rainfall and incredibly long hours… Read more
Fair Trade Tea literally has the power to change lives. In a short film about tea workers in southern India, a family from the Chamraj Tea Estate is featured. All of the issues described in the broken system are addressed and reversed. The Fair Trade Premium allows a joint board who represents the workers to determine how to spend the additional income… Read more