Rosette Fair Trade

Tag: Fairtrade Month

Fair trade fruit: beyond bananas!

When we think about fair trade fruit, often we do think of bananas. And there’s a good reason for that, which is that bananas are one of the original products that advocates were fighting for when the fair trade movement was still very young in Canada.
Thankfully, now you can get Fairtrade Certified bananas from large grocery chains like Farm Boy (in Ontario) and IGA (in Quebec). I also hear that major groceries in BC are carrying them. (If I’m missing someone, apologies! Let me know where you get your fair trade bananas in the comments!)
Because bananas are such a well-loved fruit, a lot of nasty events have surrounded them. I won’t get into all of that today, but I do really recommend the book Banana: the fate of the fruit that changed the world by Dan Koeppel. It’s a great read, and gives a detailed account of the history of bananas!
Okay, so there are two main considerations when we talk about fair trade product availability, and that includes fruit. First, we need to ask if there is a certification or verification standard set forth by a fair trade body, such as Fairtrade International, the Fair Trade Federation or Fair For Life. Second, we need to ask ourselves if a company is working to make those products available on the Canadian market. In this case, we’re blessed that a few small companies are working tirelessly to do just that! So where there are standards in place, there are typically people working to get those fruits into our supermarkets! This is very clear in the case of bananas. Equifruit is championing this in Ontario and Quebec, and you can really see the success they’ve had!
What about other fair trade fruit, though? Let’s take a look at the availability (and certifications/verifications that cover each type)!
Fair trade pineapple
As evidenced by Rosette’s exclusive fair trade pineapple t-shirts, I was pretty excited when fresh fair trade pineapples became available in 2019! (Thanks, Equifruit!) To my knowledge, this has been mostly in collaboration with IGA in Quebec, so those of us elsewhere couldn’t benefit as easily. But it was still super exciting to see that Fairtrade International was certifying Equifruit’s supply chain for pineapples!
For now, the most widely-available fair trade pineapple product in Canada is the Level Ground dried pineapple. This is verified by the Fair Trade Federation, who also covers their other products. Their dried pineapple also offers another advantage: less opportunity for food waste! Fresh food spoils more quickly, of course, so dried fruit will keep much longer and help us avoid waste. But honestly, I’ve never had that problem. Level Ground’s dried pineapple is one of my all-time favourite snacks. So it’s gone way before the word “spoil” even comes to mind!
There is also another pineapple product that’s fair trade-adjacent. Cha’s Organics, who works primarily with Fair For Life, offers a lot of fair trade products. But their organic canned pineapple doesn’t carry a fair trade symbol. Cha’s was one of the original 100% fair trade businesses in Canada. So my gut tells me that the pineapple still approaches fair trade standards, even though it’s not certified. This may mean that the Fair For Life system is still working out their pineapple certification standards. Or maybe the canning process presents unique challenges. I’m not sure. What I do know is that there is no certified canned pineapple on the Canadian market. It could be a reflection of the certifying process, more than the company’s trading practices. So if you need canned pineapple, why not go for a company like Cha’s Organics, who does use fair trading practices wherever possible? If it’s been part of their business model since the start, often companies will be doing really great work even when they don’t get the recognition associated with the label.
Fair trade mango
The Level Ground dried mango is one of the most popular fair trade fruit options in Canada! And for good reason! These little packets are just exploding with the flavour of naturally-sweet mango.
Level Ground Trading is a member of the Fair Trade Federation, and that means that the whole business passes inspection. The Federation looked at Level Ground and said, “Your business is an ethical one, so all your products are, too.” One of the main differences between fair trade certification and verification is that verification is usually company-wide. Typically, certification will cover a specific product. But verification is the word we use for membership-based organizations. Both the Fair Trade Federation and the World Fair Trade Organization are membership-based. So when Level Ground became a member of the Federation, all of their products became fair trade.
Similarly to the pineapple situation, Level Ground helps us reduce food waste! Dried mango keeps much longer and is so convenient! So it’s great to take along as a snack. The mango is one of Rosette’s best-sellers!
If you’re lucky and you have dedicated fair trade advocates running a local business, you might also find fresh mangoes! I have sometimes gotten fair trade mangoes in my produce box from GoodFood2u in Ottawa, and I’m sure there are other companies doing great work like this!
Once again, canned mango is available from Cha’s Organics. This comes with the same caveat as above. The fair trade symbol isn’t on the package, but that doesn’t necessarily preclude fair trading practices. And they’re the best option we have right now, I wager!
Fair trade avocado
You might be thinking, “But wait! We’re talking about fruit!” But of course, avocado is technically a fruit! It’s also very hard to find in fair trade form. (Well, at least in Ottawa. Though again, GoodFood2u sometimes has them.)
To the best of my knowledge, there is a company in Western Canada called Discovery Organics. And this company is working to get fair trade fruit (like avocados) into grocery stores. But so far, avocados are a rare beast in Eastern Canada.
It doesn’t help that when people think of fair trade fruit, they usually think of bananas or pineapples. That’s great, but avocados also provide crucial income for fair trade producers! It seems like the gap in this situation is on the (Eastern) Canadian side. Why aren’t we demanding fair trade avocados and (crucially) buying them? Consumer choices also really strongly affect what companies can do. Fair trade companies are by definition usually small. And if they can’t afford to stay in business, they can’t do their important work! This is why our choices as consumers are so crucial!
Other fair trade fruits
From time to time, I see other fair trade fruit options. Most often, this is in a produce basket from our local fair trade produce champions, GoodFood2u. I’ve occasionally seen fair trade kiwis and blueberries, for example. (I believe both were Chilean.)
When it comes to fair trade, Canada is a bit behind. In Europe, they have fair trade orange juice from South America & Ghana. They have apple juice from China. And these offerings are the direct result of higher sales of fair trade products. In Europe, fair trade fruit and other products are more popular and common. How do we get to that point in Canada, so that companies can offer more options?
I’m sure you can guess what my answer is: put our money where our values are! If we buy less but also buy more intentionally, we can afford to choose ethical products more often. And when we purchase a more valuable item, we treat it as such. We don’t let that fair trade pineapple go to mush in our fridge, as we might do with the one we got on sale for $1.99. Fair trade is a win-win-win! You can feel good about your consumer choices. Companies can fund their important work. Producers are paid a dignified wage for their work. What’s there not to like? 🙂
But shouldn’t I buy local fruit?
Apples are a great fruit to buy from small, local farmers!
Yes! Please buy local fruit. Let me know when you find those local bananas. 😉
Jokes aside, many of the fair trade fruit options are available exactly because Canada can’t grow them. We can’t grow bananas, mangoes, pineapples, avocados or even oranges. Often, when you look at grocery labels, our produce is coming from the developing world anyway. So unless you go 100% local (goodbye, warm-climate fruit!), buying fair trade is still the more ethical choice.
That being said, please do support your local farmers as well! In season, there’s nothing better than a ripe, local strawberry! In the autumn, those beautiful apples and peaches are unbeatable! For fruits that can be grown locally, it’s always best to shop small and shop local.
Fair trade fruit in a nut shell
We depend heavily on warm-climate fruits like bananas and pineapples and avocados. If we’re going to eat these fruits, the ethical decision is to support fair trade. This way, the supply chain isn’t maximizing profit at the expense of the little guy at the other end of the chain.
Much as small Canadian farmers deserve to earn a living wage for their produce, small international farmers deserve this, too.
What can I do today?
Choose fair trade fruit whenever you can! This way, we can make the important work of small, fair trade businesses worthwhile! They can continue advocating for fair trade availability in small and large stores across Canada. By purchasing fair trade bananas in your small, local health food store, you’re increasing the demand for this fruit. This means that the supplier has data to show bigger companies. They can say, “Do you see how much this is selling in small stores? You aren’t getting any of that pie!” This is how change slowly happens!
Your small decisions as a consumer can have a huge impact! #ChooseFairtrade this Fairtrade Month (and beyond)!

May 2, 2021
Fair trade coffee: why this classic still leads the way
Fair trade coffee is the best-known fair trade product out there. If you’ve ever mentioned fair trade to someone, there’s a good chance they responded with something like, “You mean like the coffee?”
This well-known fair trade product is famous for a reason. This week we’ll talk about why drinking fair trade coffee makes such a huge difference, as well as how fair trade coffee has become the high-quality, delicious product it is!
But first, this is the fourth post in a series about Fairtrade Month in Canada. If you missed the previous posts, check out the last one, Fair trade tea: what’s behind your fave infusion? Before that, we discussed fair trade cocoa/chocolate here: Fair trade chocolate: what it’s doing for women, children & the planet. And if you missed the week before that, where I talk about fair trade sugar, check it out here: Fair trade sugar makes Fairtrade Month extra sweet!
Now that you’re up to speed, this post will make more sense.
Let’s discuss that aromatic and energizing fair trade coffee!
We’ll start out with some basics around how coffee is grown and processed into the final product that we know and love.
Coffee farmer Mario Rodolfo Perez Manueles, near the city of Marcala in Honduras. COMSA Cooperative, Honduras.
How is coffee grown?
Coffee beans are actually the seed of a small fruit commonly known as a coffee cherry or coffee berry. You know how cherries have a pit? It’s the same with coffee, only the pit is the part that we use to make our beloved drink.
Coffee cherries—fair trade or not—grow on short, bushy, tree-like plants that really like mountainous terrain. This is great news for smallholders, who are responsible for the vast majority of coffee production worldwide. Even if their farm is hilly, coffee plants don’t mind one bit!
Coffee farmer Joselinda Manueles, near the city of Marcala in Honduras. COMSA Cooperative, Honduras.
There are two main types of coffee beans available on the market: Robusta and Arabica. Arabica beans yield a higher-quality coffee, but of course this makes them more expensive. If you’re getting a very cheap coffee, it probably isn’t made with Arabica beans. There are also blends, which are priced somewhere in the middle and have Arabica and Robusta beans mixed together. Robusta beans are higher in caffeine but don’t taste very nice, so for a good coffee, it’s best to mix in at least some Arabica beans.
The other fascinating thing about coffee is that while it’s growing, its flavour is affected by what’s around it. Something simple like the acidity of the soil can change how the final coffee will taste. Perhaps because of this, coffees from a similar area tend to share flavour notes, while the same type of coffee bean planted across the world may taste very different due to its growing environment!
Coffee farmer Mario Rodolfo Perez Manueles, near the city of Marcala in Honduras. COMSA Cooperative, Honduras.
Coffee plants don’t require full sun in order to produce good coffee beans. That means that shade-growing coffee is just as good a practice—better, even, than growing in full sun, you could say. Shade-grown coffee ripens slower, which draws out the process where they develop their flavour. The slower ripening means they take on a more complex, deeper taste that is sought after by many coffee lovers.
Shade-growing is also a great way to help out the environment, which we’ll talk about next!
Is growing coffee eco-friendly?
It all depends on how the coffee is grown!
As I alluded to above, shade-grown coffee is easier on the environment. This is because shade growing requires taller trees to provide the shade. These trees add to the biodiversity of the farm and keep the soil and wildlife happier. It also favours small-scale farmers who are living in harmony with the land over plantation owners who clear-cut for a monoculture. Did you know that over 90% of the birds die when we clear-cut an area of land? That’s because we’ve destroyed their lush, biodiverse habitat and they have no way to survive anymore.
Small-scale farmers‚ and particularly fair trade farmers, focus on shade-growing coffee not only for better environmental protection, but also because they get a higher-quality coffee that way.
Coffee farmer Mario Henrique Perez, near the city of Marcala in Honduras. COMSA Cooperative, Honduras.
Because coffee cherries provide the best flavour when they’re ripe, it’s best to pick the fruits once they’ve turned red. If the farm is a plantation with rows upon rows of coffee plants and nothing else, picking is often done mechanically. The trouble is that coffee cherries don’t all ripen at the same time, so some of the bitter, green cherries will get into the mix, making the final product lower-quality.
That’s just one more reason why small-scale, fair trade coffee farmers are better for the planet. Hand-picking coffee cherries is standard on these small farms, which means less emissions from machines and higher-quality coffee. Everyone wins!
How coffee cherries are processed
The first step in processing coffee is to remove the cherry pulp from the bean. This step is crucial because it has to happen within 24 hours of picking, or else the coffee will spoil.
Because it’s such an urgent part of the processing, this creates problems for small, independent farmers. Farmers who can’t afford to have on-site processing equipment are forced to sell their coffee cherries to others, and quickly. This has led to exploitative “coyotes” that go around to these small farms and offer way lower-than-market prices for coffee cherries because they know the farmers are desperate. They then take the cherries to a facility, where they’re processed. When the coyotes sell the final beans, they can pocket more income for themselves, of course, because they’ve paid so little for the coffee in the first place.
This is why organizing into cooperatives is so helpful. Many smallholder farmers can band together into a cooperative. This allows them to pool their resources and collectively set up a processing facility. Farmers can bring their coffee cherries there and be confident they’re not going to spoil. This empowers farmers to have more control over the process, and to let them be more independent. No longer do they need to depend on predatory coyotes out of urgency and uncertainty.
Once the beans are out of the cherries, they must be dried, which works well in the sun. The farmer can simply spread the beans out in a thin layer on a tarp or something similar, and let the sun do its work. They’ll shuffle the beans around every so often to make sure they’re drying evenly. Often they use a rake-like tool to do this.
Woman farmer holding green coffee beans. Koperasi Baitul Qiradh Baburrayyan (KBQB) Cooperative, Indonesia.
Once dried, we have green coffee beans, ready for roasting (for local consumption) or selling (if the buyers will roast it themselves). Most coffee shops prefer to have their beans roasted locally for optimal freshness. Green beans store pretty much indefinitely without loss of quality, while roasted beans are better when they’re fresher.
All of our suppliers roast their coffee on-site, for example. Then they pack the beans into well-sealed bags for optimal freshness. Ground coffee should be used within a few weeks of roasting; whole bean coffee stays fresher longer because the goodness inside the bean is released when you grind it for your morning brew!
Why is fair trade coffee better?
There are a few reasons we’ll cover, but in order to avoid writing a novel, I’ll keep it to three general ideas. Those are the farmer impact, the coffee’s quality and the environmental protection.
Farmer impacts of fair trade
I consider this to be a crucial factor, because nobody should be living in misery just so we can have a cup of coffee in the morning.
Fair trade coffee means the farmer receives a living wage, so they can cover the costs of production and have a little left over to send their kids to school, provide for their family and so on. The things we take for granted in Canada, basically.
Woman farmer harvesting coffee cherries. Cooperativa de Caficultores de Manizales, Colombia.
Because fair trade farmers usually organize themselves into cooperatives, they can learn from one another as well. This boosts the independence, community and self-esteem of the farmers, because they learn to be better and better farmers and have support in their community. Fair trade farmers can also access training from Fairtrade International, if they go through this certifier, and these trainings can include anything from management skills to creating organic compost for their farms.
Fair trade farmers receive a 10% premium on top of the purchase price. So for example, if I buy $10 worth of beans from a fair trade cooperative, I actually give them $11. That extra dollar is put into a fund where the cooperative saves up for whatever projects they feel are most necessary. They will democratically decide what to use it on, and in case you’re interested, fair trade coffee farmers usually decide on farmer training and agricultural tools. In some industries, farmers tend towards other uses (such as education), but we’re in the middle of a coffee crisis and farmers need more help now than ever to grow their coffee and make ends meet.
Why fair trade coffee is higher quality
Fair trade coffee is higher-quality coffee because of what goes into it.
First, as I mentioned earlier, shade-grown coffee is the default in fair trade, and shade-grown coffee has a better flavour. You already kind of knew that, right? 🙂
But what you might not know is that because many non-fair trade companies rely on coyotes to supply coffee to them, they actually have no idea where the coffee is coming from. A single coyote might hit 100 farms in a single day. All of those beans are chucked together into a bin at the end of the day, regardless of quality. Sure, the final buyer might do a great job of roasting the beans, but there’s only so much you can do with low-quality beans. Small, independent farmers usually don’t have the capacity to process, roast and taste their own coffee, so they typically have no idea what the quality of their beans actually is.
Enter the cooperative.
Many fair trade cooperatives have pooled resources to invest in cupping facilities! This means they can taste the beans each small farmer is bringing to the table. And you know what? They’re making great business choices after that! If cooperatives figure out Sophia has the best beans, they’ll tell her to train up the other farmers on how she gets her beans to taste so great! So the whole cooperative will then have Sophia-quality beans and can ask for a better price on the market to reflect that higher quality.
Women happy with the good coffee harvest. Left to right: Mery Huayllas Huaman, Natividad Mogrovejo Palomino, Reyna Palomino Castro, Marleny Saenz Arbieto and Teodora Espinoza Flores. Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Valle de Incahuasi, Peru.
You might say, “I heard of a company that does direct trade and they know the farmers they get their beans from, and they’re super high quality. Isn’t that the same as fair trade?”
The trouble with direct trade is that it’s totally unverified by anyone except the person making the claim. What’s more, direct trade may shorten the supply chain, but it doesn’t make any claims on how the workers on the farm may be treated, what kind of extra support they may have from their buyers, or even what price is being paid to these farmers. In some cases, direct trade demands high-quality coffee but doesn’t pay the farmer as much as they need to reasonably produce these high-quality beans. Or the buyer may have very little oversight and there may be labour abuses or nasty agro-chemicals involved. Direct trade is direct, which is cool. But so is fair trade, and fair trade is also so much more!
How fair trade coffee is more eco-friendly
I’ve already covered some of the reasons fair trade coffee is greener, but let’s jump a bit deeper in.
Did you know that fair trade prohibits the use of many toxic chemicals on crops? While pesticides and herbicides are used often in conventional coffee, fair trade focuses on natural alternatives wherever possible. It also encourages building up the soil with organic compost rather than chemical fertilizers. More than half of the farmers certified by Fairtrade International also have organic certification. How rad is that?!
And not to keep harping on about it, but shade-growing coffee—which is widespread in fair trade—is better for wildlife, people and the planet overall. Keeping natural habitat for the wildlife is one thing, but biodiversity and tree planting also helps combat soil erosion and offsets carbon emissions. Did you know that smallholder farmers produce 80% of the world’s coffee, fair trade or not? Let’s ensure that these smallholders can receive a fair wage for their lower environmental footprint!
Woman farmer, holding freshly picked coffee cherries. Kopepi Ketiara Cooperative, Indonesia.
Fair trade coffee facts
Did you know that Fairtrade Certified coffee is grown in more than five hundred producer organizations, in over 30 countries?
Here are some more fun facts (based on 2018 numbers):
- 18% of all Fairtrade coffee farmers are women
- $121.7 million was paid in Fairtrade Premium to coffee producers that year
- There are 582 Fairtrade coffee producer organizations worldwide, and they represent 762,392 workers in 32 different countries
- 86% of all Fairtrade coffee comes from Latin America & the Caribbean
- 214,335 metric tonnes of coffee was sold as Fairtrade in 2018
Coffee farmer Freddy holds a handful of freshly-picked coffee cherries. Cooperativa de Caficultores de Manizales, Colombia.
Fair trade coffee brands
In Canada, our fair trade coffee roasting history began with Just Us! Coffee Roasters in Nova Scotia, which started up in 1996. Not long after, in 1997, Level Ground Trading opened up in Victoria. These two companies are pillars in the Canadian fair trade community, which is why they were my first choices when deciding which brands to carry in the Rosette store!
Now, in 2020, you can walk into any store and get fair trade coffee from huge brands, because that’s how much demand there is for it. That’s amazing news for producers! But let’s also not forget the small businesses that paved the way for these huge corporations to have a piece of the fair trade pie! Remember to support local, small businesses when you can, because they do so much good for our communities. 🙂
Well, that wraps up the #4people4planet Fairtrade Month series! I hope you enjoyed my musings on fair trade sugar, chocolate, tea and coffee over the past few weeks.
Remember, Fairtrade Month is May, but producers deserve dignity and respect all year! Remember to ask where your favourite products are coming from year-round for a positive impact. It’s a great way to really feel at peace with the consumer decisions you’re making! Or as I like to call it, vote with your dollar, because every time we make a purchase, that’s basically what we’re doing!
Thanks for reading, and happy Fairtrade Month!
In solidarity,
Lia
May 27, 2020
Fair trade tea: what’s behind your fave infusion?
Fair trade tea is a beautiful thing. It’s a good way to know how your favourite warm drink was produced, and feel even better about it.
This is the third week of Fairtrade Month already! (Time flies when you’re trading fair!) Today I’m talking about fair trade tea. If you missed last week’s post on fair trade chocolate (cocoa), you can read that here: Fair trade chocolate: what it’s doing for women, children & the planet. And if you want to catch up on the week before that, where I talk about fair trade sugar, check it out here: Fair trade sugar makes Fairtrade Month extra sweet! They’ll get you up to speed on what I’ve already covered.
But now, let’s turn to tea.
First things first, let’s learn a little bit about how tea is grown and processed, so that we’ve got a solid foundation.
Freshly-picked, Fairtrade Certified tea leaves (China). They still need to be processed before they’ll become the ready-to-brew tea that we know and love. © Philipp Benedikt.
How is tea made?
The vast majority of the tea we drink—whether it’s white tea, black tea or green tea—is made from the leaves of the same plant. It’s just that green tea is processed differently than black tea, which is also processed differently than white tea. The only exception is purple tea, which actually does come from a different tea plant that grows purple leaves.
And then, of course, there are herbal teas like rooibos that are technically not tea, but rather a tea-like infusion. I won’t cover the production of every type of infusion today because I’d be here a very long time! I’ll just go over how tea is made.
First things first: tea needs to be grown. As I just mentioned, most tea comes from the same plant, which has beautiful green leaves.Those leaves are plucked by knowledgeable tea pluckers, to ensure they’re the best quality. For black and green tea, apparently two leaves and a bud make the best tea!
Once the tea is plucked, it needs to be processed as soon as possible for optimal freshness.
If the tea leaves are going to become black tea, the typical processing begins with wilting the tea to soften the leaves and stems. Then the leaves are rolled, oxidized and dried. Rolling gives the tea leaves a sort of twisted appearance and releases enzymes that will oxidize when left to interact with the air. Even though they start out green, this process turns the leaves the reddish-brown colour we recognize as black tea. It also helps develop a more fruity flavour in the tea. Then, it’s dried so that it stores longer.
If the tea leaves are destined to become green tea, the leaves are typically processed in some way to de-activate the enzymes that oxidize. Sometimes this is done by pan-drying the leaves, and other times they’re steamed to eliminate the enzymes. Without oxidization, the leaves stay a greener colour and have that more distinctive, herbal flavour that we associate with green tea.
For white tea, typically different leaves are used. They come from the standard tea plant (the same as is used for green and black tea), but only very young leaves are used. Unopened, bud-like leaves are said to be best for white tea. They’re dried right away, but the enzymes aren’t de-activated like green tea. The drying slows oxidization but doesn’t eliminate it, so it’s considered semi-oxidized. This gives it the signature, delicate flavour that is lighter than black tea but less “green” than green tea.
I hope you feel like a tea expert now, because you now know more than most folks will ever know about tea production! 🙂
Is growing tea eco-friendly?
That’s a complicated question, but I’ll do my best to answer it!
Tea is one of the world’s few major crops that actually prefers to grow in what’s called a monoculture. So while, for example, coffee loves being shade-grown alongside fruit trees, tea doesn’t. It likes being on its own, only surrounded by other tea plants. So you’ll find that tea is typically grown on a plantation, which poses difficulties, of course.
Clear-cutting land for tea plantations is very challenging to the environment. Without mentioning names, large companies will usually clear-cut large areas to grow their tea “in-house” as opposed to buying from existing producers. This lets them have complete control over production and makes it easier to cut corners and reduces transparency, because they’re only accountable to themselves. On top of that, how these companies acquire the land is anyone’s guess—that is, it could be ethically acquired or acquired through a land grab. These are just a few reasons why fair trade is so important; it works with existing, smaller producers to tip the power imbalance.
Fair trade tries to focus on biodiversity and smallholders, to protect the environment. When it comes to tea, grown on plantations, sometimes it’s not a super small farm that grows diverse crops, so it’s a challenge. Now workers that don’t own the farm may be introduced, which makes it important to look out for their wellbeing, too. And minimizing environmental harm is also crucial, so many fair trade teas are also organic. Even if the tea plants prefer a monoculture, at least we can avoid spraying harmful chemicals on the crop!
Fair trade tea facts
Did you know that Fairtrade Certified tea is grown in over a hundred producer organizations, all around the world?
Here are some more fun facts (based on 2018 numbers):
- 26% of all Fairtrade tea farmers & workers are women
- $7.7 million was paid in Fairtrade Premium to tea producer organizations that year
- There are 106 Fairtrade tea producer organizations worldwide, and they represent 392,700 workers in 11 different countries
- 64% of all Fairtrade tea farmers & workers live in Kenya
- 10,700 metric tonnes of tea was sold as Fairtrade in 2018
Thangamani is a tea plucker at a fair trade tea plantation near Kothagiri, in India. She is proudly showing us her freshly-picked tea leaves! © TransFair e.V.
These numbers are super promising! Fair trade tea is a popular commodity among consumers who want to vote with their dollar!
Fair trade tea brands
In Canada, we’re lucky to have many great options in terms of fair trade tea! This includes Tega Organic Tea, JusTea, and so many more.
Regardless of which type of tea you enjoy, there are fair trade options for you! By choosing fair trade tea, you’ll contribute to the empowerment of tea producers across the world and help to preserve the environment.
That’s all for this week, but next week will be all about fair trade cotton and clothing! Join us for that next Monday. See you then!
In solidarity,
Lia
May 11, 2020
Fair trade chocolate: what it’s doing for women, children & the planet
Fair trade chocolate may be a modern idea, but the growing and eating of cacao has enriched human lives for millennia.
This week of Fairtrade Month, we’re looking at fair trade chocolate (cocoa). If you missed last week’s post on fair trade sugar, check it out here: Fair trade sugar makes Fairtrade Month extra sweet! It’ll give you a bit of extra background on sweet treats like chocolate.
Today, I’m going to focus on chocolate, and there’s a reason for that. It’s that a lot of conventional cocoa production is bad. Like, really bad. I don’t even know if I can impress on you just how bad it is. But I’m going to try to show you the difference that fair trade makes, because it’s huge.
To begin with, I’ll do a quick overview of how cocoa grows, so we’re all on the same page.
A freshly-opened cocoa pod. The white coating on the beans will be fermented and dried to reveal the dark brown cocoa bean we know and love underneath. CANN – Coopérative Agricole Nzrama de N’Douci, Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire).
How is cocoa grown?
Cocoa pods grow on trees and can be red, green or purple. Pods look like oblong ovals, kind of like a stubby cucumber, and inside they have cocoa beans that are covered in a white, fibrous coating. The beans are fermented in this coating so that it sloughs off and the rich, brown beans are revealed underneath.
Because cocoa pods grow on trees that can get quite tall, there isn’t a very efficient mechanical way to harvest them, so they’re harvested by hand. This usually involves a sharp knife and can cause serious injury if proper safety protocols aren’t followed. Unfortunately, in West Africa, where most of the world’s cocoa is grown, this task is often completed by children who should be in school and planning for their future. What’s more, there is a very serious child trafficking problem in Côte d’Ivoire and it’s estimated that as of 2018, there were around 800,000 children enslaved in the cocoa industry.
It’s important to mention that cocoa farmers turn to this kind of practice because the prices of cocoa have been well below the cost of reasonable production for many years now. Farmers find themselves in a position where they have to cut corners wherever they can, and sometimes that means purchasing a child slave (as young as 8 years old) for less than the cost of an iPhone. If that doesn’t horrify you, I don’t know what will.
Once the cocoa pods are harvested, they can be split open to reveal the white-covered beans, which will then be fermented and dried. This gives us the cocoa beans we’re used to seeing. Those can then be ground up to make chocolate liquor (a mixture of cocoa butter and cocoa solids/powder) and that is either used as-is or divided into cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Cocoa powder is also sometimes called cocoa solids.
Cocoa beans drying in the sun. CANN – Coopérative Agricole Nzrama de N´Douci, Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire).
Environmental costs of growing cocoa
More and more folks are aware of the social problems in the cocoa industry, but only recently are consumers becoming aware of the environmental challenges.
Small-scale farmers are overwhelmingly the ones who protect the natural habitat of wildlife and avoid clear-cutting. However, we’re seeing more and more deforestation in West Africa as large cocoa plantations are made at the expense of the environment. Clear-cutting for cocoa crops not only harms the local wildlife and biodiversity (which are themselves important for maintaining balance within the ecosystem), but it also contributes to soil erosion and depletes the quality of the soil.
Because of so many larger companies that are implementing their own so-called “ethical” and “sustainable” cocoa projects, we’re seeing more plantations. When companies proclaim themselves ethical or sustainable, there is unfortunately nothing to keep them from profiting from it—except the critical thinking that consumers can exercise. If no third party is overseeing what they’re doing, there’s nothing to keep them from doing whatever they want to keep prices down. The words ethical and sustainable are not regulated by labelling authorities, so they don’t really mean anything in the context of marketing. For that reason, it’s not false advertising to harm the environment and then call your cocoa sustainable.
Fair trade helps deal with this, by having clear standards and a Fairtrade Mark the qualifying companies can put on their product. And that’s easy to regulate.
Fair trade also supports farmers in mitigating and coping with climate change. The photo below is of Kouadio N’Drie, a cocoa farmer in Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire), who has been struggling with climate change because the rainy season is so unpredictable.
Cocoa farmer, Kouadio N’Drie, and his wife, Brou Afoue Suzane. They struggle with climate change as the rainy season is now too unpredictable. CANN – Coopérative Agricole Nzrama de N’Douci, Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire).
Because fair trade means that a minimum price must be paid to cover production costs, Kouadio N’Drie and others like him can better cope with the unpredictability of the climate. Without a fair trade arrangement, he would likely also have to cope with volatile market prices, as many non-fair trade cocoa producers do.
Fair trade is also helping by creating standards that require environmental protections, which give small-scale producers a leg up because they are naturally less hard on the environment. This gives fair trade producers better access to markets where sustainable products are in higher demand.
Fair trade cocoa beans
Fair trade cocoa beans are important because fair trade means the farmer is getting a reasonable price for the produce. Instead of getting a super low payment that forces the farmer to resort to unethical practices to survive, fair trade producers receive a fairly-negotiated price that considers the cost of ethically producing their cocoa beans.
One of the fair trade principles is making sure that children are protected and going to school so that they have a good future ahead of them. This means that everyone who’s working on fair trade cocoa farms is a consenting adult and being fairly compensated for their work. Basically, what we’d expect for ourselves if we started a new job.
Drying coca beans at Tiemokokro. These beans have been fermented already and are being dried, so they look more like what we think of when we picture cocoa beans. CANN – Coopérative Agricole Nzrama de N’Douci, Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire).
Fair trade cocoa is also typically produced in a cooperative, which is great for a few reasons. One, it helps the farmers be more efficient with their resources because they can share many things, such as processing facilities. They can also pool their produce together for a larger crop, so that they can approach larger buyers and advocate better for themselves. And finally, cooperatives focus on education between their members, so if one farm’s cocoa is better-quality or producing a higher yield, knowledge sharing can happen in order to improve the results of other members of the cooperative. This, in turn, improves their income and means they can provide better for themselves and their families.
Fair trade chocolate facts
Did you know that fair trade chocolate has been on the rise for years now? More and more people are realizing the abuses that can happen when we don’t pay farmers a fair price for their cocoa beans, and consumers are doing something about it!
As of the latest data we have (2017/2018 studies):
- There was a 57% growth in Fairtrade Certified cocoa sales worldwide in the last year
- $55 million was received by Fairtrade Certified cocoa producers for the Fairtrade Premium (a 10% bonus amount on top of the sale price, used on projects that are democratically decided-upon by the producers)
- There are 263 Fairtrade Certified cocoa organizations (e.g. co-ops) representing 263,825 cocoa farmers across 21 countries
- 86% of all Fairtrade Certified cocoa farmers are in West Africa
- 214,435 metric tonnes of cocoa was sold under Fairtrade terms in the last year
This is Amani Edouard, in the Village of Konanyaokro. She works in the CANN (Coopérative Agricole Nzrama de N’Douci) fair trade cocoa cooperative in Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) that grows cocoa for tasty chocolate treats!
These stats are encouraging, but there’s always room to grow until nobody at all is harmed in the production of our chocolate treats!
Meet a fair trade cocoa producer!
Meet Emma Georgette. She’s a fair trade cocoa producer from EKOOKIM in Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire). Emma Georgette helps to grow much of the cocoa that is used in the Oxfam Fair Trade chocolate that we have in the Rosette store.

This is Emma Georgette. She is a member of ECOOKIM, which is a union of seven primary cocoa co-operatives located in rural communities across four regions of Côte d’Ivoire. EKOOKIM supplies the cocoa for many of the chocolate bars that we carry in the Rosette store, including the Oxfam Fair Trade “Bite to Fight” line of chocolates.
She says, “Since I am member of the cooperative, my life has changed. With the support of the cooperative and the agricultural training I could increase my cocoa production and thereby increase our income as well. We are really happy.” Emma Georgette is one of many cocoa producers whose work in the cocoa industry is now treated with dignity and respect, thanks to fair trade. She receives a living wage for her work, so that she can provide for herself and her family, rather than suffering abuses in her place of work.
This is why it’s very important to put a face on our food. Meeting the people behind our fair trade chocolate creates a connection and reminds us that there are real people whose lives are impacted by our choices. Faceless products means that we can easily look the other way, even if there are abuses going on in the making of our favourite chocolate.
Fair trade also helps to even out gender inequality. Emma Georgette is able to self-determine in ways that many female farmers can’t. This is because fair trade requires that gender non-discrimination be included in producer organizations. This means that women can hold jobs that men might traditionally hold, and that women don’t get paid less just because they’re women. Because of this, programs like the Women’s School of Leadership are going strong and help to empower women in agriculture.

Fair trade chocolate brands
In Canada, one of the best-known fair trade chocolate brands is Camino. I’m located in Ottawa, which means I’m lucky enough to consider Camino a local company! But there are other great chocolate brands available in Canada, like the delicious chocolate by Just Us! Coffee Roasters. If you haven’t tried their mint-filled dark chocolate, you’re really missing out!
Whatever brand you choose, make sure you’re looking for Fairtrade Certified chocolate so that you can be part of the solution! Your fair trade chocolate purchase makes sure that fewer and fewer cocoa workers are being exploited.
Join us again next week when we discuss fair trade tea!
In solidarity,
Lia
May 4, 2020
Fair trade sugar makes Fairtrade Month extra sweet!

Fair trade sugar isn’t usually considered the star of the fair trade movement, but maybe it should be!
There’s no comparison to the light caramel flavour of golden cane sugar in your coffee, baked goods or even your favourite fair trade chocolate. Those beautiful, golden crystals of sweetness put the whole cane sugar vs white sugar debate to bed in a heartbeat. (But we’ll still talk about it briefly below.)
For those who don’t already obsess over fair trade (like I do), May is Fairtrade Month. And for 2020, Fairtrade Canada (who’s the go-to authority on Fairtrade Month in Canada) is running the #4People4Planet campaign.
What does all of that have to do with cane sugar? I’m so glad you asked! Sugar is one of the commodities that turns up in a ton of things we eat. It doesn’t need to be a can of soda or a bag of gummy bears for us to find sugar in the ingredients; many of our prepared foods—including savoury ones—have it as well. And if we’re going to use it so much, don’t you think it’s important to know where it comes from and how it affects people and the planet? I thought you would! 🙂
So every week of Fairtrade Month (May), I’ll be posting educational information about one fair trade commodity, to help you learn a bit more in-depth about farmers’ realities. This week’s topic is fair trade sugar!
Harvesting sugar cane, Paraguay. © TransFair e.V.
What is cane sugar?
Quite simply, cane sugar is the crystallized solids that we end up with after the juice from sugarcane has been evaporated. So in other words, you squeeze fresh sugarcane to extract the juice, just like you would squeeze an orange. But instead of drinking sugarcane juice the way we drink orange juice, we usually take the sugarcane juice and dry it out. The dried out juice becomes cane sugar, which we can put into our favourite recipes.
Any sugar is a tasty addition to our desserts, but fair trade sugar is even better. Why? Because it’s fair trade, of course! The overwhelming majority of sugarcane is grown in the developing world because it’s a hot-climate crop. That means human rights violations and environmental abuses are more likely to happen if there’s no oversight.
Cane sugar vs white sugar
Sugarcane juice naturally contains both sugar and molasses. Did you know that molasses was a byproduct of sugar processing? Well now you do! And since molasses is super rich in nutrients, lots of folks are switching out their ultra-refined white sugar for a more whole sugar option.
To make whole brown sugar, you simply evaporate the sugarcane juice. This yields a dark brown sugar (also called muscovado) that retains the nutrients from the sugarcane. It also has the rich, sweet molasses flavour that’s naturally present in the sugarcane juice.
You can also filter some of the molasses out to produce a light golden sugar with a mild caramel flavour. This golden cane sugar is also known as turbinado.
If you take all of the molasses out, you end up with ultra-refined white sugar. Usually companies don’t market it as cane sugar, as it doesn’t retain many of the nutrients of the natural cane juice.
And bonus fun fact: if you purchase conventional “brown sugar” in the grocery, it’s typically white sugar (ultra-refined) with some molasses mixed back in—hence the lighter and darker brown sugar options. (Don’t believe me? Have a peek at the label next time you’re at the grocery!)
Whole brown sugar that was made out of sugarcane at the Norandino Cooperative in Peru. This Camino sugar arrives in Canada packaged and ready-to-sell, which means the processing and packaging happens in Peru. This helps them keep more money in the community!
Fair trade sugar
In short, fair trade sugar is important because it’s better for people and the planet.
Fair trade products have to adhere to standards related to everything from agrochemicals to business relationships, to ensure environmental protections and insulate workers from exploitation as best possible.
But one of the coolest things about fair trade sugar is that it’s so direct. In the photo below, you’ll see the face of a man who grows the very same fair trade golden cane sugar that you see on store shelves near you.
Cándido Vera Flor, sugar farmer. Manduvira Cooperative, located in the South-West of Paraguay, is Fairtrade-certified since 1999. In 2014 the Cooperative started running their own production line for organic- and Fairtrade-certified Sugar. © Transfair e.V.
Cándido Vera Flor’s cooperative, Manduvira, produces sugar for your baking, and it also supplies sugar for use in other great fair trade products, like this organic sesame bar (available in Europe). Associating a face with our food is good for accountability, transparency and connection. Now that you’ve met Cándido, don’t you want to do what you can to protect him and his family from harm? Faceless relationships make it easier for us to look the other way, no matter what abuses may be going on.
Fairtrade Month in Canada
Fairtrade Month engages consumers and gets them to think about the choices they make when they shop. The #4People4Planet campaign asks folks to think about people and the planet now more than ever—the worldwide implications of COVID-19 hit producers hard as well, and often they have less infrastructure to cope with it than we do. Put a face on your food and help out the planet by looking for fair trade sugar and other products when you’re doing your shopping! You can check out our cane sugar selection in the baking ingredients aisle, if you’re running low as we speak. 🙂
I look forward to seeing you in our next post, where we’ll talk about the world’s favourite treat: chocolate! Like sugar, chocolate is better when it’s fair trade, too!
Until then, be well and stay safe!
In solidarity,
Lia

May 1, 2020