Last year, Mississippi Market took part in a contest to sell fair trade Alter Eco’s chocolate truffle variety packs; maybe you, dear reader, were even one of the awesome customers who purchased a box. If you did, I’d like to say a big “Thank you!”, because this past fall Mississippi Market was named winner of the contest, and I was offered the prize: a chance to visit where Alter Eco sources the coconut oil they use in their truffles.
In the ‘lull’ between Thanksgiving and Christmas, my wife and I went to Kerala, India (the south west coast) with Kate Tierney, Alter Eco USA’s president. It was a transformative experience for all of us, and I’m excited to share some reflections here on our blog where I’ll be posting entries about the trip, meeting farmers, fair trade business, coconut oil, and of course, the food; today’s topic is Alter Eco Foods as a brand.
So what’s the big deal with these truffles? They’re just about the only truffle available that’s made with coconut oil rather than palm. While the latter is a much cheaper oil, it’s rarely farmed in a sustainable way, whereas coconut has proven to be a more versatile and longer lasting crop—trees can produce fruit for up to 60 years! The truffle boxes, like many these days, are made of recycled paper, but the wrappers are entirely compostable! Using a really cool patent-pending mix of plant-based materials and a super thin layer of aluminum that Alter Eco developed, these coverings will compost in 16-24 weeks.
Alter Eco as a brand really has their heart in the right place. A small team of 20 people run this multi-million-a-year company, but much of that goes to fuel their dedication to sustainability, organics, fair trade practices, and supporting small-scale farms. They have a strong desire to know their producers, and make a goal to take stateside partners (like me) along to visit farms and factories now and again. They work with nearly thirty thousand producers from around the world annually, and have supported 90+ community projects, many aimed at carbon offset.
Mississippi Market carries a variety of Alter Eco products besides the truffles, all of which are worth a try. We also carry a few specialty rice from Asia (I love the purple jasmine) and heirloom quinoas from Boliva that will soon be moving into fully compostable packages—their rainbow quinoa has a bin in our bulk section, too. Cooking up the black quinoa to go along with white fish and some vibrant veggies makes for a stunning plate.
Next up: Meet the Farmers
Ben Zamora-Weiss is the Grocery Manager at our Selby store.