I recently had the opportunity to travel to Kerala, India with Alter Eco Foods to visit their coconut farmers. This is post three of four; click the links to read parts one, two and three. A version of the second half of this post also appeared in our February-March newsletter.
Until early December 2015, I thought I knew what Fair Trade was: it was a symbol on a box that meant the farmers got paid a better price for their product. Over the course of my week in India, I learned it really means so much more.
Fair Trade Alliance Kerala (FTAK) is an agricultural collective provides the organic, fair trade coconut oil that Alter Eco uses in the chocolate truffles we carry at all three Mississippi Market locations. We visited their offices on our first day of work, where Alter Eco president Kate gave a presentation about how her brand supports FTAK on an international level.
FTAK members then told us how their cooperative is structured and supports its farmers at the local level. FTAK serves as a logistics, sales, marketing, and support network for member farmers (of whom there are about seven thousand). Their services include managing the various fair trade and organic certifications member farmers can use, as well as offering loans to farmers and farming communities. Some of this money has been used to build wells and community kitchens for schools, land reclamation projects, and livestock purchases to allow families to be more self-sufficient.
They also run on the spirit of cooperative accountability—rather than hiring out to a third party for inspections, the business model popular in the US and much of Europe—members of the co-op rotate through inspection responsibilities with a mix of farmers and non-farmers on a team. While we went to see the coconut branch of things FTAK farmers also produce large quantities of vanilla, cashews, coffee, and black pepper, among many other crops.
Where FTAK is the operational arm of things, Elements is the retail side of the organization, which includes two small shops in the city of Calicut and a brand that many of the products listed above might be packaged under. We had the opportunity to stop in at both of these locations, the only place one can find certified organic produce in the city.
Large wicker baskets for bulk grains, beans, and rices, glass jars of spices and flours, simply-packaged nuts, seeds, and small grains were plentiful on the shelves. A coffee/tea room was on the second floor of the newer location, with a non-food shop that featured papercrafts, clothing, candles, and a variety of other homegood/gift items made with organic ingredients by local artists.
Part of Alter Eco’s business on this trip included interviewing farmers to see how Fair Trade has impacted their lives. I spoke with Jimmy (above, in the red shirt), who just the day prior scaled a 35-40’ coconut tree—in the traditional method, using just his hand, feet, and a bamboo fiber scarf!—to demonstrate the harvest.
I can afford to send my children to school” was a common response shared among many farmers, including Suraj, our host for a night, standing here (below) with his three children.
Loans though FTAK have helped small-scale farmers make the shift to organic farming or to buy a plot of land or equipment. When asked how fair trade had impacted his community, he talked about how people work together so much more now—just under half of Jimmy’s income comes from helping his older neighbors, something he wouldn’t have had time to do ten years earlier for fear of not making enough money at market just for his family. I’ve done enough job interviewing at the co-op that it was just habit to add in at the end “and do you have any questions for me?” He responded with honest and humbling curiosity:
Do the people who shop at your store care about Fair Trade? What does Fair Trade mean to us in the United States? And what is the benefit to my store—and to me as an employee—for promoting fair trade?
The best word that I can use to sum up this trip—this week-long experience—is “transformative”. Part of this came from being able to put names and faces to farmers, see coconut oil produced, observe a radically different form of agriculture, try new foods, stand in a spot and see 20+ harvestable crops within 10 feet, and bring back a respect for brands I barely knew. More inspiring, though, was coming home with a deeper understanding of our global food system, and a real appreciation for the small but important role each of my Fair Trade purchases makes in the lives of farmers around the world. Shopping fair trade grows communities. It enables families. It enriches lives. And honestly, at the end of the day, it does make positive change in the world. More than once I was thanked for doing my part to support the consumer end in fair trade back home…and now I hope you’ll join me in continuing that.
Ben Zamora-Weiss is the Grocery Manager at our Selby store.
