Valentine’s Day is around the corner and it’s the day (though by no means the only one) to buy chocolate and flowers for your sweetie. How about making it a fair trade Valentine’s Day. It’s easy and you know that you will be supporting farmers who have organized to escape the relentless onslaught of the “free” market.
Transfair USA, the fair trade certifier for the U.S., has created a handy website that provides links to places where you can order fair trade chocolate, fair trade flowers and fair trade wine.
Global Exchange, the education and action resource center for an alternative globalization, goes a bit farther. They have organized the National Valentine’s Day of Action to reach out to educators so that they can introduce their students to the concept of fair trade. There’s even a lesson plan for k-6th grade teachers. But if you just want to get some fair trade chocolate, they also offer a variety of fair trade chocolates including my favorite, Divine.
Finally, there are the friends at Equal Exchange who distribute fair trade chocolate as well.
But in the interest of shopping local, why not got to your local store and ask them to stock fair trade items. That way, you save postage and have your fix nearby. Happy Valentine’s Day.
At the core of the success is the quality of the cocoa beans produced by the farmers of Kuapa Kokoo. They work hard and are proud of their achievements. I could not help but feel this price during my visit both at the headquarters and the Boakyeasua village society.