Until early December, 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. I recently learned first hand it means so much more.
In early December I had the opportunity to travel to Kerala, India with AlterEco Foods to visit their coconut oil producers. Fair Trade Alliance Kerala (FTAK) an agricultural collective, provides the organic, fair trade oil that AlterEco uses in the chocolate truffles we carry at all three Mississippi Market locations.
This visit included interviewing farmers to see how Fair Trade has impacted their lives. For example loans though FTAK have helped small-scale farmers make the shift to organic farming, and “I can afford to send my children to school” was a common theme among many. I spoke with people like Jimmy (pictured here), who just the day prior, scaled a 35’ coconut tree in the traditional style to demonstrate the coconut harvest. When asked how fair trade 
had impacted his community, Jimmy talked about how people work together so much more now—just under half of his 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.
The best word to sum up this trip—is “transformative”. I was able to put names and faces with 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, enables families, and enriches lives. More than once I was thanked for doing my part to support this back home, and now I hope you’ll join me in continuing that.
Over the next month or so, I’ll share more reflections about AlterEco, the time we spent with farmers, and our tour of a coconut oil factory on here on our blog. My wife and I have also tried our hand at Kerala-style recipes since; we’ll post some of our favorites there, too.
More reasons to love AlterEco chocolate truffles:
- Entirely compostable wrapper, developed by AlterEco.
- Fair trade coconut oil based—just about the only product on the market able to make the claim.
- All AlterEco chocolates will be on sale for Valentine’s Day.
Ben Zamora-Weiss is the grocery manager for the Selby-Dale location. Ben has been a part of the Mississippi Market grocery team since 2010.