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Fair's Fair

Beatrice Asante KUAPA JAN 2009 016

The WATWB focuses on good news. So I thought, what could be better news than a bar of chocolate? The real stuff, I mean, not the muck we get from Hershey’s or Cadbury. Dark chocolate full of cocoa, concentrated and bitter. Divine. And Divine is the name of a chocolate bar produced by Kuapa Kokoo, a farmers’ co-op in Ghana. Which isn’t just good on consumers’ taste buds but also, as explained on their website, for producers’ pockets. Kuapa Kokoo – which means good cocoa growers – has a mission to empower farmers in their efforts to gain a dignified livelihood, to increase women’s participation in all of Kuapa’s activities, and to develop environmentally friendly cultivation of cocoa. 

Fairtrade, to quote the definition given by the Fairtrade Foundation, is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. Nothing, though, can be taken for granted, and I was dismayed the other day to read of plans by two leading UK supermarkets, Tesco and Sainsbury’s, to drop the Fairtrade label for tea (to begin with) and develop their own scheme instead. Now, why would they abandon a system which may indeed have its flaws, but has proved its effectiveness and now benefits 1.6 million farmers worldwide? Despite their protestations to the contrary, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this is a ploy to restore their own profits at the expense of local producers.

All is not lost, though, since at Sainsbury’s latest annual meeting, shareholders protested vigorously at the move. Which has to be good news too, since the supermarkets can safely ignore the farmers but not their own shareholders. Neither can they afford to ignore consumers, so here’s a link to a petition you can sign to apply a bit more pressure. After all, it’s in our own interests too if we like our chocolate divine.

Thanks to  Simon FalkRoshan RadhakrishnanInderpreet UppalSylvia Stein and Damyanti Biswas for co-hosting this month’s WATWB.

17 thoughts on “Fair's Fair”

  1. It is encouraging to see evidence that corporate greed can be restrained by public compassion and a sense of global community. It’s difficult for me to understand why so many people feel threatened by globalism.

  2. Divine chocolate is indeed divine. Fairtrade and ethical business practices deserve our strong support, and it’s heartening to hear Sainsbury’s shareholders concur. Thanks for sharing this bit of good news – it makes me very happy.

  3. I do not recall seeing Divine Chocolate in my local stores, but this post prompted me to look more carefully at the label of the widely available kind I have been buying.  Glad to see that Endangered Species Chocolate is also Fairtrade certified.  The price is moderate and they say they donate 10% of net profits to wildlife conservation efforts.  Their 88% cocoa bar is far and away the best chocolate I have tried.

    1. Ah, good – I’ve never heard of that particular brand but there are now quite a few around. I think the concept is now well established in public awareness, so hopefully Sainsbury’s will backtrack on this one.

  4. Hi Curtis … I use some Fairtrade products … but have signed the petition … it’s good we encourage Fair Trade farmers … cheers Hilary

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