From Joyce's Desk: Fair Trade, Huh?? A Video to Answer the Question

Whenever I tell people about Coco-Zen and explain that we only use Fair Trade Certified chocolate, I usually get a confused look that translates to, "Fair Trade, huh??" Well, I don't know about all you other enlightened chocoholics and supporters of Fair Trade, but I get a little tired of explaining the concept over and over again, and then having to educate people about the cocoa industry's "dirty little secret" - cocoa farming and child labor (often slavery). So.....

Here's a video that's been around for a while but is great at explaining what Fair Trade is all about.

• If you're someone who doesn't know what Fair Trade is, WATCH THIS.
• If you're constantly explaining to others what Fair Trade is, PASS THIS ALONG.

"Fair Trade - The Movie"




For those of you who need something that's a little more "in your face" with regards to Fair Trade chocolate, see the videos we posted in a previous blog:

Video: Chocolate and Child Labor (Slavery)


Now For My Rant...
I've read in various articles written by Fair Trade naysayers that Fair Trade as an economic concept is not sustainable in our market system - that in the natural order of supply and demand, prices will always reflect what consumers are willing to pay and cannot be pushed higher unless artificially forced by government laws and regulations.

Well...I have to STRONGLY disagree. Now, I'm no expert in economics, but I do understand it's mechanics (I did major in Economics and Business at UCLA - so, give me some credit). Believe it or not, I'm a very strong supporter of the free market system, and I believe that it can coexist with human good will - capitalism isn't a "dirty word" if consumers are educated and given a choice.

From a product standpoint, Fair Trade is a valued "quality" that, if understood, consumers would be willing to pay a little more for. Think of a sweater, for example. Most people are willing to pay a little more for one that's made from natural fibers - say cotton, wool or cashmere (people pay a lot more for cashmere) - than for the same sweater made from polyester or nylon. This is because clothing made from natural fibers has a perceived higher quality and value. The same can be said for Fair Trade products. Let's look at chocolate (of course). If everyone understood how traditional cocoa farming destroys the land and often uses child labor/slavery (particularly in the Ivory Coast where the majority of the world's consumed cocoa comes from - what I like to call chocolate's "dirty little secret"), then I have to believe that, if given the choice, most people would pay a little more for chocolate that was guaranteed to have been produced without harming workers or the environment. People would pay more for the higher value of Fair Trade. And yes, I believe that most people are inherently good.

There's one more thing to consider - the big chocolate companies. Because most consumers are unaware of chocolate's "dirty little secret", companies like Hershey and Nestle are only concerned with paying the lowest price possible for cocoa regardless of the toll on people and environment. They believe their consumers (us) only care about eating "cheap" chocolate. However, as more consumers become chocolate "enlightened" and desire the value of Fair Trade, they will vote with their dollars and reward those companies that offer a Fair Trade choice. When this starts to happen on a larger and larger scale, the big chocolate companies will naturally go where the money is (that's economics), and then they will start to demand Fair Trade from their cocoa suppliers. From there, I believe we will truly start to see change in the cocoa industry and see more cocoa farms that are planet & people friendly.

Ultimately, I see the market system as merely a tool for good people to use - the market will bear what people want. Fair Trade and capitalism can coexist. We just have to work together to spread the word and educate others.