San Francisco Global Exchange Fair Trade Store

Election season may be over, but the holiday season is right around the corner–can you believe it?! And while some of you may be busily stocking up on Fair Trade ingredients for the big Thanksgiving meal (like Fair Trade spices for pumpkin pie), over at the Global Exchange Fair Trade stores we’re getting ready for some exciting events!

Here’s what we’ve got coming up:

1) We’re taking part in Fair Tuesday, a Fair Trade day of action;

2) We’ll be lending our support to a handful of local organizations by hosting “Shop for a Cause” nights in their honor.

Here’s more about both:

Image courtesy of Global Goods Partners

1) FAIR TUESDAY

Not sure when to kick off your holiday shopping? Avoid Black Friday blues by participating in Fair Tuesday on November 27th, an event spearheaded by Global Goods Partners, a New York-based nonprofit. Fair Tuesday is a Fair Trade initiative created in response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with the goal to inspire conscious consumerism and show how an everyday purchase can change lives in a whole community.

Here’s how to participate in Fair Tuesday:

Whether you are an individual, organization, or a member of the press, you can join Global Exchange in the #FairTuesday movement in two simple ways:

1) Buy a fair trade item on Tuesday November 27th at a Global Exchange Fair Trade store near you, or any other brick-and-mortar or online Fair Trade store—Check out this great list of Fair Tuesday partners for some good ideas, or let us know about your favorite store in the comments!

2) Help us spread the word about this movement on social media using hashtag #FairTuesday. Tell your family and friends that what you really want for the holidays is global economic justice.

Global Goods Partners is a fair trade organization that supports over 40 women-led artisan groups in Asia, Africa and the Americas. Their goal—and our challenge to you—is to galvanize the fair trade community around #FairTuesday and make this movement global!

2) “SHOP FOR A CAUSE” NIGHTS IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

This year we are partnering with FOUR inspiring organizations to host “Shop for a Cause” nights at our Fair Trade stores in the Bay Area. Our goal is simple and speaks to our vision for a better global economic system: give back to our communities while giving back to artisans around the world through Fair Trade.

During these special event evenings, you can shop for your friends and family and 20% of your purchase will go to the featured local Bay Area organization to help support their social justice work.

ONE: La Casa de las Madres
Where: San Francisco Store
When: Wednesday November 28th 4pm-7pm
Rsvp on Facebook here

La Casa de las Madres acts boldly to create a community where violence against women and children is not tolerated. They offer a continuum of comprehensive and empowering services to women, teens, and children exposed to and at risk of abuse. La Casa also provides access, tools and support—clinical and peer-based—that strengthen their ability to affect change and break the cycle of violence.

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TWO: Berkeley Student Food Collective
Where: Berkeley Store
When: Wednesday December 5th, 2pm-6pm
Rsvp on Facebook here

The Berkeley Student Food Collective is dedicated to providing fresh, local, healthy, environmentally sustainable and ethically produced food at affordable prices to the Berkeley campus and greater community. They seek to educate students about nutrition and food systems, empower new leaders, and train youth to work in and manage a sustainable business. Through inclusive, democratic decision-making, they operate a cooperative grocery market that promotes community-building and environmental stewardship.

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Photo courtesy of Turning Heads & the Sweet Dreams Project

THREE: Turning Heads
Where: San Francisco Store
When: Wednesday, December 5th 4pm-7pm
Rsvp on Facebook here

Turning Heads Sewing and Fashion Design provides vocational arts education, entrepreneurship training, and develops young women leaders in San Francisco. They challenge race, class and gender stereotypes by believing that young women of color can work together and create a future that is personally, socially, academically and financially successful. Turning Heads Sewing and Fashion Design gives young women the opportunity to express their creativity, develop a sense of self-reliance, and follow their dreams.

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Photo courtesy of the OMI Family Resource Center

FOUR: OMI Family Resource Center–YMCA SF Urban Services
Where: San Francisco Store
When: Thursday, December 13th 4pm-7pm
Rsvp on Facebook here

The OMI Family Resource Center’s mission is to empower families living in the Oceanview, Merced and Ingleside neighborhoods through services aimed at strengthening relationships, building community and fostering healthy lifestyles. They offer a safe and welcoming environment and aim to engage families in services that build on current strengths and are respectful of each participant’s right to self-determination. All services are offered in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese.

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TAKE ACTION!

All in all, we have a great list of events coming up–we hope to see you. Visit our Facebook page to see the complete list of upcoming events, including our annual Fair Trade Store holiday parties. Stay tuned for more about those!

Check out our website for the whole list of actions, or follow us @gxfairtrade or on Facebook where we will deliver your daily action each morning at #fairtrade31.

Fair Trade Successes in Rural India: From Cycles of Drought to Cycles of Reuse

There was no water filtration plant in Barmer, Rajasthan when the Austin-based Fair Trade business Handmade Expressions started in 2005, with the goal of improving the economic livelihoods and social standing of artisan communities in rural India. In fact, there was and still is very little water at all there.

Rich art traditions run deep in Rajasthan, unlike the wells, and access to capital for infrastructure and technology improvements is limited. Geographically isolated and characterized by a harsh, arid climate, many people in Rajasthan struggle to make more than $1 a day. But from the start, Manish Gupta, the founder of Handmade Expressions, was interested in doing more than simply getting local people to sell him their products at a better price—for him and the local NGOs he has partnered with, Fair Trade has always been about holistic development.

The traditional block-print fabric bags the artisans in Barmer began to produce for Handmade Expressions quickly became one of their best-selling items. However, hand block-printing requires an immense volume of water to dye and print the fabric. This issue of resource management in the face of environmental and economic adversity is one that many underprivileged communities face—use water to support an income generating project at the expense of other survival needs, or suffer economic hardship?

Instead of leaving this question alone, Handmade Expressions has sought to make it obsolete by paying attention to local practices and needs, and putting the increased income made possible by Fair Trade to task.

This year, in partnership with a local NGO called SETU, the Society for Empowerment & Trade Uplift of Artisans, Handmade Expressions sponsored and helped install a water treatment plant in Barmer that allows for the recapture and reuse of the water used in block-printing and dyeing. The plant, inaugurated August 28^th, has the capacity to filter 2,000 liters of water each hour and each batch of water can be filtered and reused 15 times!

In addition, what is truly rewarding about this news is learning that Global Exchange has been able to have a direct impact on the success of Fair Trade and sustainable development in Rajasthan through our ongoing support of Handmade Expressions. Over the years, we have ordered hundreds of those very same block-print bags to give out to new members as our way of saying thank you. How inspiring then, for us at the Fair Trade stores to see the real changes we are supporting, and for our grassroots supporters to be able to look at the bag they got maybe even years ago, when they first became a member, and know they’ve been a part of such a successful movement for social and economic justice. It takes time and a lot of effort, but the accomplishments prove to us why we want to continue our work around Fair Trade—we all benefit and get to grow together, in solidarity.

TAKE ACTION!

Join Global Exchange for $35/year and we’ll send you a gorgeous customized Global Exchange tote bag from Handmade Expressions women’s cooperative in India, a No-Nonsense Guide to Democracy, Globalization or International Development and a bag of Equal Exchange chocolates!

Whether just one piece or in a set, Le Souk Ceramique tableware is a beautiful and meaningful gift for any couple.

Looking for the perfect wedding gift for your favorite newly hitched couple? In a global economy on overload from excessive, cookie cutter, sweatshop production, it can be hard to find something unique and functional for your friends, a gift that holds a story of partnership, community, and cultural heritage to celebrate the union of two people in love.

But it’s not hard at Global Exchange Fair Trade stores. As a non-profit  business rooted in the values of economic and social justice, we are just as excited as you are to share beautiful gifts with the ones we love. This wedding season we’re excited to feature  our best selling ceramic line from Le Souk Ceramique as that special gift to last a lifetime.

Le Souk artisans Marwa and Safa busy painting. Photo courtesy of Le Souk Ceramique.

Le Souk Ceramique produces all its ceramics at a small studio located in Nabeul, Tunisia, just a couple of kilometers from the Mediterranean coast.  All production is done by hand at the studio.  In both the shaping and painting of the ceramic artisans use no machinery, nor any decals or stencils.  Each piece is painted freehand with only food safe paints and glazes for the safety of consumers as well as that of employees. (See video of the artisans in action below.)

As the business explains on its website, the name “Le Souk Ceramique” is a combination of Arabic and French,  “souk” meaning  “marketplace” in Arabic.  In every town and city across Tunisia and North Africa, you will find a souk with items of traditional artistry–Nabeul is known for ceramics in particular.  Not unlike Global Exchange, souks are filled with color and texture and make for hours of adventure just wandering around!

So come wander into one of Global Exchange’s Fair Trade stores in San Francisco, Berkeley, Virginia or Washington D.C. to find the best wedding gift for your friends and loved ones.

Are you or someone you know getting hitched? In case you didn’t know, Global Exchange stores in San Francisco and Berkeley do gift registries!  Finally you can get all those amazing Fair Trade products you’ve been wanting all these years… and celebrate your union in solidarity with artisans around the globe! Just ask us at the store or give us a call and we’ll set you up!

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Video Bonus: Check out how Le Souk artisans make ceramics from start to finish.

Time for a garden party at Global Exchange!

Out West in San Francisco and Berkeley, we’re celebrating the bounty of summer with our beautiful handmade aprons and hot mitts from Guatemala–garden parties and barbeques can be Fair Trade events too!

The colorful handwoven aprons and hot mitts come from MayaWorks, a fair trade nonprofit organization that promotes economic development for Mayan women and their families by supporting a marketplace for their handcrafted goods. MayaWorks believes that community development happens through the economic development of women who otherwise have limited ways to participate and contribute to the economic health of their communities.

MayaWorks partners with over 125 artisans in 6 communities along the central highlands of Guatemala. All artisans are paid a fair wage for their work. Additionally they are supported through microloans to start their own businesses, literacy and skills trainings, and scholarships to send their daughters to school.

Maya Works Artisans. Photo copyright by Global Exchange.

Global Exchange has partnered with Maya Works to bring you their fine Fair Trade weaving in the form of aprons, potholders, pouches and more.  All products are 100% cotton, color safe and made to last.

Back East, the Global Exchange Fair Trade stores in the DC-area are currently featuring beautiful hand-made applique pillows – the perfect accent for your favorite summer reading chair or that new patio set you can’t wait to show off!

Photo Credit: Natural Habitat

These colorful pillows are hand-stitched by artisans in the Gujarat region of western India who are famous for their craftsmanship and have passed down their techniques for generations.  The pillow covers are a great example of the combination of a rich cultural heritage and an eye for contemporary designs. The embroidery and appliqué is done by women, often in their homes  (not in sweatshops), based in and around Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This area lacks regular employment, and the migration of men to urban centers for work makes it difficult for the women who are left behind to support their families. The work provides a livelihood and additional income to the families as well as helps keep these ancient crafts alive.

Relax into summer with embroidered pillows from Global Exchange. Photo Credit: Global Exchange.

The art of hand embroidery for decorating fabric began thousands of years ago when women sewed together patches of material to make both attractive and functional items such as quilts and other textiles that archaeologists have found were traded along ancient routes around the world!  Today, it is an expressive art form for the rural or pastoral women in Gujarat. Each coverlet is an impression of creativity and love for creating an eye-catching work of art.  For you, they offer an alternative to a glut of machine-made, mass-produced goods, providing a connection to a sense of individual identity and the personal touch of the artisan making more than just an object of utility but sharing a piece of a heritage art form – that is what makes these pillows unique!

So come by one of the Global Exchange Fair Trade stores to get into the swing of summer! Have a great way to celebrate social justice this summer? Let us know in the comments!

Lata ji sharing her experience working with Fair Trade artisans in rural Rajasthan, India.

When Lata Kachhawan first went to visit the communities in rural  Rajasthan over twenty years ago, she had to walk or go by camel. There were no roads, no electricity, just miles of sand dunes to walk over. And when she finally got to the village, the few women she saw walking to the well ran away from her, scared about what an outsider might be doing there.

Today, the organization SURE (Society to Uplift  Rural Economy) works with over 600 villages in rural Rajasthan in the far northeastern region of India at the border with Pakistan. There are roads, buses, water catchment tanks, and  some solar lanterns–not every village has electricity yet–and there are women who are not afraid to talk to newcomers. As Lata ji shared with us last Tuesday night at the Global Exchange Fair Trade Store in San Francisco, SURE has worked incredibly hard over the last two decades to support long-term sustainable development in Rajasthan, of which Fair Trade has played an important part.

SURE first started working with women refugees from Pakistan who fled to Rajasthan to escape the violence and persecution of the Indo-Pak war of 1971 . The area where SURE works is very arid and drought-prone, with scarce local water resources. Historically marked by a lack of communication and transportation infrastructure, making a living in rural Rajasthan is difficult to say the least.

But when SURE decided to work with local villages to address poverty there, they knew there already existed an incredible wealth amidst the people–their deep knowledge of handmade textiles and applique work. The challenge was to take what was traditionally done for the family–for decoration, gifts, and especially for daughters’ dowries–and transform that skill into an income-generating business. So SURE began its livelihood program, designed to help artisans (mostly women) learn how to improve the quality of their work, negotiate better prices for products, plan out their work schedule, and through a micro-finance program, manage profits, losses, and savings. SURE also brought artisans together with designers to learn how to make new products for the international market; as Lata ji explained, “Before, they didn’t know bedsheets, or pillow  covers, none of that.” SURE also has worked to teach artisans how to simplify their traditionally intricate designs so that they are able to use their labor time more effectively.

The Austin-based Fair Trade company Handmade Expressions was started by an immigrant from Rajasthan himself, and works closely with SURE artisans to produce designs customers will like. And as a Fair Trade business with a vision to change the world, Handmade Expressions wants to pay more for high quality products which support rural livelihoods. They have even helped provide villages with solar lanterns, making it easier for artisans to have more flexible work schedules, as well as give their children the ability to study in the evenings. Alison Hanson, the Production Coordinator and Sustainability Advisor from Handmade Expressions traveling with Lata ji, told us that part of the current challenge for small Fair Trade businesses like Handmade Expressions is that larger non-Fair Trade companies often come into villages, copy their company’s designs, and place huge orders at a lower overall cost, undercutting Fair Trade prices.

This Fair Trade 'Tree of Life' applique made from organic cotton takes about a week to make.

Lata ji explained that the role of SURE, beyond capacity building and skills training, is to be a facilitator, connecting artisans to Fair Trade businesses like Handmade Expressions and other organizations who see the value of the handmade production and want to support it at a fair price. One of the long-standing challenges for artisan producers in the region has been exactly that. The applique work done for wall hangings, pillow covers, and other textiles can take from 3 days to a whole week to finish; without the support of the Fair Trade market and the business and confidence training provided by SURE, women were making 3 to 5 rupees per piece–about 5 cents. Today, the price  is over ten times as much or higher, and families can earn a much better living. Still, the 2000 to 2500 rupees a month artisans are making now remains right under $2 a day.

Nevertheless, the self-sustaining livelihood program has meant more than increased income and solar lanterns. It has meant increased democratic participation at a local level. As the women artisans have learned to value their skills and their voices, they have begun to speak up and speak out. The small artisan groups present in local villages, about 15-20 women, have evolve into “pressure groups” for improved local governance. Lata ji shared with us that when the women have shown up to local government meetings to advocate for rights and services, the officials ask them, “Why are you here? This is not your SURE meeting.” But the women know better than to get discouraged–they know the government should work for them so they stay and, Lata ji told us with a sly smile, “they argue.”

The holistic approach to sustainable economic and social development is not an easy one, and definitely not about quick fixes. This is true of both the Fair Trade movement in general as well as within the scope of SURE’s work. Just as Lata ji emphasized at her talk yesterday, learning takes time and change is a slow process–the key is to sustain. Visit the Global Exchange Fair Trade Stores to check out a variety of the beautiful applique wall hangings and purses handmade by the artisans of SURE.

The meet and greet with Lata ji was part of a 10 day artisan tour sponsored by Handmade Expressions and Fair Trade Towns USA. Lata ji’s visit to Global Exchange was just one stop during her trip on the way to the Fair Trade Federation Conference in Seattle, WA on May 22, 2012.

The Global Exchange Fair Trade store in San Francisco loved hosting Lata ji from SURE, Alison from Handmade Expressions, and Courtney from Fair Trade Towns!

Fair Trade advocates are working hard to inspire as many folks as possible to participate in a Fair Trade event from May 6-20, so check out the Fair Trade Resource Network calendar to find an event in your area. Alongside more than 100,000 people across North America, we’re proud to take part.

Free Global Exchange eco-shopping totes

At the Global Exchange Fair Trade stores we’re excited to celebrate World Fair Trade Day two ways:

1) With every Fair Trade purchase of $20 or more May 19th & 20th we will give you a FREE Fair Trade eco-shopping tote.

These best selling totes are perfect for shopping your Fair Trade store or local farmers market.  Made from 100% cotton, hand-block printed, vegetable-dyed fabric scraps in India, the totes are colorful, functional and sustainable. Just mention this blog post at any of our stores in SF, Berkeley, D.C., or Arlington to receive your FREE gift! Offer available while supplies last.

2) For those in the Bay Area, join us at our San Francisco Fair Trade Store Tuesday May 15th from 5:30-6:30pm to hear Lata Kachhawan, founder of the artisan group SURE, the Society to Uplift Rural Economy, speak about her experience organizing artisans in northern India and the complications of Fair Trade today. Free Fair Trade coffee and chocolate will be served!

This event is part of a 10 day artisan tour sponsored by Handmade Expressions and Fair Trade Towns USA. Lata Ji’s visit to Global Exchange is just one stop during her trip on the way to the Fair Trade Federation Conference in Seattle, WA on May 22, 2012. (If you don’t live in the Bay Area but want to see her speak, check out the other cities she’ll be visiting here.)

Lata Kachhawan is a social activist with a passion for improving health, economy, education, drought relief and governance within her home region of Barmer, India.

The Fair Trade cooperative SURE, comprised of more than 600 women artisans, produces beautiful applique wall hangings, pillows and more available at the Global Exchange Fair Trade Stores. The income from the sales of these products has gone towards the installation of 100 solar lamps in remote Indian villages. SURE is a great organization that showcases the work of Fair Trade as a model of long-term economic development and Lata Ji is very in tune with the impact of trade and the challenges that exist in the process. So come out May 15th to hear first hand how Fair Trade impacts artisans and how we all can continue to improve the Fair Trade system.

We look forward to celebrating World Fair Trade Day with you!

Global Exchange Fair Trade stores in San Francisco, Berkeley, and the D.C. area will be having a special promotion on Saturday May 12 and Sunday May 13 to make your Mother’s Day shopping easy.  You get a FREE set of 6 cotton threaded bangles to match any selected scarf purchase of $20 or more. (Offer available while supplies last.)

To take advantage of our special Mother’s Day promotion–just mention “Mom’s Rule!”

Mayan weaver making San Antonio scarves

One example of the unique scarves available in our stores are the ones made in the village of San Antonio; located on the cliffs above Lake Antigua, Guatemala, where Mayan women weavers Marta Lopez, Nicolasa Sicay Sicajan and Florisanta Diaz Sicajan work with their community in the production of these colorful, 100% cotton scarves.

The women’s children run in and out of the open-air workshop, located in the center of their small town.  Wide windows open to grand views of the silver lake surrounded by volcanoes, where the indigenous Kakchiqueles people have practiced their traditional weaving for generations.

To make the scarves, first the women work together to spin and sort the cotton threads into careful color selections using a large handmade standing wheel.  With the help of the wooden wheel, the women can prepare thread for seventy scarves per rotation! Then they weave the prepared threads on majestic wooden foot looms (traditionally the work of men) into colorful scarves.

Each scarf takes about one hour to make once the thread reaches the loom. Since they are well-known in the area for their quality of weaving, the women are busy filling not only international orders but also local demand for specialty huipiles (the elaborate indigenous dress).

Cotton thread bangle bracelets from India--perfect for Mother's Day!

Also in celebration of Mother’s Day, Global Exchange brings you a beautiful selection of colorful thread bangle bracelets.  In the small village of Rajasthan, India, the craft of thread jewelry-making thrives.  One family, recognized for their thread craft, has carried on the tradition for more than 1,000 years. This extended family does the work of past generations, meticulously wrapping cotton and silk threads into necklaces, earrings, and bangles. Chai is poured as family members work in the comfort of each other’s homes. The women in the family make most of the business decisions, and the income from the family’s work supports a growing network of extended relatives and friends. The family takes great pride in their craft and being able to do what they have done best for centuries.

Global Exchange’s brightly colored cotton bangle bracelets keep alive this long family history of thread craftsmanship. In seasonal warm oranges, electric blues and a full spectrum of other colors, the soft cotton bangles are an easy, fun way to accessorize. Pair them with any of our wonderful scarves to take advantage of our special Mother’s Day promotion–just mention “Mom’s Rule!”

And have a Happy Mother’s Day!

Bracelets made from re-used paper? Yep!

In honor of Earth Day, the Global Exchange Fair Trade stores are excited to offer a special deal this weekend on some of our beautiful recycled paper products from Mai Handicrafts and Project Have Hope:

Come by April 21-April 22 to receive a FREE recycled magazine bracelet from Project Have Hope when you mention the secret password “Fair for the Earth“  and purchase $20 or more in product made from recycled paper.

Why celebrate Earth Day by choosing Fair Trade? Because environmental sustainability is inextricably linked to social & economic sustainability. When our economic system is based on massive profit accumulation at the expense of the workers and the environment–we cannot simply celebrate Earth Day by planting a tree and calling it day.

Should we all plant a tree on April 22? Sure. But imagine networks of cooperatively-run Fair Trade tree-nurseries that generate income opportunities for local farmers and fund biodiversity education for children. That project could bear a lot more fruit than one lone tree.

Women in the Acholi quarter in Uganda receive a reliable monthly payment for their beads. Photo Courtesy of Project Have Hope.

As one vision of an alternative market economy, Fair Trade can provide an important connection between creative thinking around solutions to inequality, and waste diversion.

What does that mean, exactly?

Many Fair Trade organizations and businesses work with individuals whose resources are “limited”—this is where  creativity and waste can come together sustainably.

Here’s one example: The women who work with Project Have Hope turn to local printing presses for low cost “reject” paper, or simply collect scrap paper from magazines, posters, whatever is available locally. This low cost raw material is then up-cycled into beautiful paper bead jewelry, providing economic stability for the women, plus educational opportunities for them and their children.

Mai Handicraft artisan weaver Chut is able to work at home, which allows her to also take care of her children when her husband is busy. Photo Courtesy of Richard Else & Traidcraft.

Creative re-use is an important element of the Fair Trade economy. In a world of excessive production and waste, it is a radical step towards recognizing the value of local resources, both material and immaterial, to generate better standards of living without resorting to dependence on charity. Through the work of organizations like Mai Handicrafts, economically disadvantaged people are acknowledged and valued as artisans, keeping craft practices alive for future generations, and contributing to the social and environmental sustainability of their communities today.

On Earth Day we celebrate this amazing planet we live on, and acknowledge our collective responsibility to take care of it. But we never celebrate alone–instead, we celebrate our global communities’ efforts to come together around shared values, and we demand a prioritization of healthy people AND environment, instead of exploitation.

Fair Trade recycled products, like those from Mai Handicrafts and Project Have Hope, offer alternatives to mass-produced commodities, and remind us: people deserve a stable livelihood and trash can be turned into treasure.

Will we see you on Earth Day? We hope to see you on April 21st or 22nd so you can receive your FREE recycled magazine bracelet. Happy Earth Day! Here’s a list of our store locations.

Kids everywhere love Divine Chocolate!

At Global Exchange we love to celebrate Fair Trade all the time, but this Easter, things will get even sweeter with free chocolate!

Come by anytime Saturday April 7 through Sunday April 8 and you’ll get a free piece of Fair Trade chocolate with any purchase of $20 or more at our Global Exchange Fair Trade stores. From handmade baskets to colorful spring gifts, Global Exchange is excited to help make your Spring have a positive global impact.

For some, Easter means nibbling cute chocolate bunny rabbits, but for many others, especially in West African cocoa-exporting countries, chocolate is a terrible reminder of the harsh reality of child slave labor.

Global Exchange remains committed to supporting Fair Trade cocoa producers around the globe and generating a better world for all of us, kids and adults alike. You too can show your support this Easter by purchasing chocolate from two amazing Fair Trade chocolate vendors: Divine Chocolate and Equal Exchange.

What makes Divine Chocolate so divine and Equal Exchange equally as inspiring? The cooperatives that produce the cocoa, of course!

How Fair Trade has impacted the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative in Ghana and CONACADO in the Dominican Republic:

Fatima Ali, proud member of Kuapa Kokoo. Photo courtesy of Kuaka Kokoo.

Just listen to the shouts of “papa paa!” from the farmers of Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana, a cocoa cooperative started in 1993 which now owns 45% of the Divine Chocolate company itself. “Papa paa” means “best of the best” in the Twi language of Ghana, and is a motto which extends beyond the high quality of the cocoa grown by the farmers and into the cooperative’s commitment to Fair Trade and the betterment of members’ lives.

The social premium that members receive through the cooperative’s  Fair Trade certification translates into real benefits for the community at large, such as clean water wells. Kuapa Kokoo also has a strong focus on gender empowerment, which means that women like Fatima Ali, a local Kuapa Kokoo Society recorder and proud owner of a 5-acre farm, can aspire to leadership positions they previously thought impossible.

CONACADO producer & the bright orange cacao pods that become chocolate bars. Photo courtesy of Equal Exchange.

For over 25 years the worker owned co-op Equal Exchange has been advocating “Small Farmers, Big Change”– and it’s working. In the Dominican Republic, Equal Exchange’s farmer partner cooperative CONACADO has been able to sell over 40% of their cacao on the Fair Trade market.  By participating in Fair Trade, CONACADO has been able to provide school supplies and scholarships for members’ children as well as launch the “Cacao Route,” an eco-tourism project that also generates local income.

One woman who came by the San Francisco store said the other day, “It’s so great that kids these days can eat really good chocolate!” It sure is! And not only that, when you buy Fair Trade chocolate it means that cocoa-producing farmers benefit.

TAKE ACTION!

• Check out this awesome recipe for Chocolate Satsumas, perfect for enjoying the marvelous citrus fruits that are in season at your local farmers’ markets. Or make a delicious Earl Grey Chocolate Tea Cake for your Easter Sunday brunch–(our stores sell Fair Trade tea too!) Have a great Fair Trade chocolate recipe? Share it in the comments!
• Don’t forget to get your free Fair Trade chocolate. Come by the San Francisco, Berkeley,  Arlington, VA or D.C. stores  on Saturday April 7 & Sunday April 8.
  

• Don’t celebrate Easter? Check out our Fair Trade program’s four tips on how to make this Spring a Fair Trade one, including a resource to bring Fair Trade to your Passover Seder.