Fairtrade America is celebrating the growth of its partner community in 2022 with the addition of certified products from Mullin, Mid-Day Squares, Blue Stripes, betterland foods and commitments from its existing partners including Ben & Jerry’s, Tony Chocolonely, Gallant International and Divine Chocolate.
Choosing to source ingredients with Fairtrade terms and carry the Fairtrade Mark on certified products, these brands are helping consumers easily identify and purchase products that are produced according to Fairtrade’s social, economic and environmental standards.
“We’re so proud to welcome these newly certified partners into the Fairtrade community. Each of these brands showcase exciting progress and diversity within our existing partner set, offering proof that interest in the certification is only growing,” said Carlos Urmeneta, Director of Commercial Partnerships, Fairtrade America. “Farmers continue to experience the effects of climate change, high production costs, poor soil conditions and long-term low prices, so continuing to see new brands commit to investing in ethical sourcing is something we are inspired by. When brands choose to source Fairtrade, they are prioritising a fairer deal for farmers, and giving consumers the chance to do so as well when choosing the Fairtrade Mark.”
Fairtrade’s newest brand partners are part of what the organisation is calling a “global ecosystem” that supports farmers and workers’ efforts to get a fairer price for their products to support themselves and farm sustainably. The newest brands joining are Mullin, a supplier of single-serve mulling spices; Mid-Day Squares which produce functional chocolate squares that are non-GMO project verified, vegan, kosher, gluten-free and soy-free; Blue Stripes a wellness brand which utilises the entirety of cacao (shell, fruit and bean) and betterland foods which produce caramel, plant-based nougat bars made with Fairtrade chocolate.
A recent Harris Poll survey commissioned by Google Cloud found that 82% of consumers want the values of the brands they purchase to align with their own, and shoppers are paying more attention to this in everyday shopping. On top of this, the 2021 Sustainable Market Share Index found that sustainability-marketed products were responsible for a third of growth in consumer packaged goods from 2015 to 2021. As a result, products marketed as sustainable grew 2.7x faster than products not marketed as sustainable.
“We’re working to lead the cacao industry in a more sustainable direction through our products, and that includes fairer trading conditions for the cacao farmers at the foundation of the chain,” said Oded Brenner, CEO and Founder of Blue Stripes. “Fairtrade certification has allowed us to better communicate to shoppers how we’re acting on this crucial piece of our three-fold vision for wellness, equity and sustainability, and we hope to inspire other brands to follow suit.”
In addition to welcoming new brand partners Fairtrade America is proud to acknowledge the steps its existing partners are taking in their commitment to Fairtrade. In 2022, Fairtrade partner Grace Farms invested in its partnerships with tea producers and offers an extensive line of Fairtrade certified teas. Del Monte & Corporacion Internacional Los Angeles became certified to sell Fairtrade bananas in the US as the US remains the largest single-country importer of fresh bananas.
Other examples of Fairtrade brand partners expanding on their commitment include Divine Chocolate’s deforestation crowd-funding project, regnerative agriculture commitments from Gallant International, Coliman Bananas beginning the second phase of its community centre premium project, Guylian committing to 100% Fairtrade cocoa sourcing and Ben & Jerry’s announcing their Open Chain partnership earlier this year.
“Seeing the impact that these brands are making beyond the Fairtrade Mark emphasizes the important alignment with Fairtrade’s rigorous environmental, economic and social Standards,” concluded Urmeneta.
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Caitlin Gittins
Editor, International Confectionery
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