Perhaps it is from eight years of the Bush Administration that have made us suspicious of our president’s oil motivations, but Ghana’s new offshore oil boom may give good cause for doubt.

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Another wave of caterpillars is moving through crop fields in Liberia eating their way through plantains, bananas, coffee and cocoa.

The current wave is a different species than the first. Experts say the second caterpillar is black and white, while the one responsible for the damage in January is black and yellow (Achaea Catocaloides). The first damaging caterpillar has moved into the Ivory Coast and is eating crops there. Ivory Coast is the top cocoa producer in the world.

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Cocoa Camino is a line of premium Fair Trade Certified and certified organic chocolate, cocoa and sugar products produced by the Canadian La Siembra Co-operative.  These products include chocolate bars, sugar, hot chocolate, cocoa, chocolate chips, syrup and couverture.  They’re sold in natural health food stores, pharmacies and grocery stores.

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Did you know: 284,000 children toil in abusive labor conditions in West Africa’s cocoa fields?

Global Exchange is on a mission to change that! Educators of all kinds (parents, teachers, youth leaders, after school providers, daycares, etc…) are invited to take part in the Fair Trade Curriculum provided by Global Exchange, visit the curriculum page for more details!

Teach Global Exchange’s curriculum in your classroom anytime between now and Valentine’s Day and you will be entered into a prize drawing to win over $75 worth of Fair Trade chocolate and educational materials!

(Photo on Flickr by EmilyWJones under Creative Commons License)

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It would appear that I am not alone in my passion for the heavenly food. Hundreds of people attended the Chocolate Show here in Paris this weekend. They went to watch the experts prepare chocolate delicacies, to hear lectures on the latest in chocolate-making machinery, or to see the latest chocolate-inspired fashion. But most of all they went to sample an astounding variety of the fine food. Although they did not steal the show, organic and Fair Trade chocolate featured prominently throughout the weekend.

I spoke to Emilie Guerin, a member of Ethiquable, a French Fair Trade company that has a partnership with a cooperative of cocoa producers in the Dominican Republic. Ethiquable, a combination of the words "éthique" and "équitable," French for ethical and fair, was founded in 2003. "Four years ago we started with 8 products," Emilie said. "Now we have 120." They began with coffee and now work with a range of products from orange juice to rice, and, of course, chocolate. But their goals remain the same from one foodstuff to the next: Ethiquable is dedicated to ensuring Fair Trade with farmers in the developing world and respect for the environment.

Emilie explained how the Fair Trade labeling process works. "In conjunction with the FairTtrade Labeling Organization (FLO), Max Havelaar evaluates the costs of production for a given foodstuff," in this case cocoa beans, "and the cost of living for the producers." A minimum price for the beans is determined based on that evaluation. "We as an importer must respect that price at the very least," Emilie said, "but we are free to propose a higher price to the producer if we want." What is more, the minimum price does not vary with the often highly volatile market prices, and so Ethiquable guarantees fair and steady revenues to producers in exchange for their produce.

This system of Fair Trade functions thanks to the reduction of intermediaries and margins. "The price that we offer to the consumer is the same and sometimes less than that of other brands," Emilie said, "because we as importers have smaller margins, and in addition we limit the number of intermediaries." Whenever possible, the full production and packaging processes are completed within the country of origin. Ethiquable transports the finished product to France where it is directly distributed to supermarkets and shops throughout the country.

At Ethiquable, Fair Trade goes hand-in-hand with a deep respect for the environment. For example, in the Dominican Republic they work "with families that have maintained a strong tradition of agriculture, families that cultivate small plots of land." Indeed the cocoa from the cooperative is in the process of being certified as 100% organic. "We are not interested in an industrial model that is impersonal and ultimately unsustainable," said Emilie. "Ours is based on human contact and care for the environment."

With some 30 partnerships in 21 countries, Ethiquable is growing quickly. May they continue to expand, leading the way with other fairtrade groups, to a humane and sustainable system of world trade and consumption.

The Chocolate Show

Ethiquable

Kuapa Kokoo is a co-operative in Ghana which produces cocoa, and in 1997, with the support of Twin Trading, Comic Relief, the Body Shop and Christian Aid, they created their own chocolate bar. The farmers have a strong voice within the company, even creating the label design based upon traditional West African Adinkra symbols. With farmers shares currently at 45%, and representation for the farmers within the board, including a portion of meetings held in Ghana, they will continue to have a say in the direction of the company. This past May, the first dividends were shared with Kuapa Kokoo, totaling around $93,000.

Divine received international recognition on June 12th when the Managing Director Sophi Tranchell was a presented with one of the First Women Awards as a "First Woman of Retail and Property." This was the 3rd annual presentation of the First Women Awards, which exist to both honor women excelling in business while also encouraging young women to continue to break barriers. Their aim is to "unearth and unveil a new generation of role models – whether they are young entrepreneurs or low-profile pioneers in larger businesses." Entrepreneur and business writer Margaret Heffernen, in announcing the award, noted "In building the first farmer-owned Fairtrade company. . . Sophi Tranchell is, without question, a groundbreaking retailer, campaigner and businesswoman."

This recognition moves beyond an honor to an individual to an acknowledgement that this new business model has not only arrived, but is a success. In a competitive market with many big players, Divine has shown that Fair Trade can adhere to all the principles and ideals of the movement, and simultaneously achieve a successful triple bottom line.