Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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CANDY COUNTER Chocolate Gets the Fair Trade Treatment Among the first cocoa products to earn fair-trade certification were small, mission- driven companies like Divine Chocolate and SunSpire in 2002, the same year Chris Martin, the front man for Coldplay, became involved in the cause. He spread the word on concert tours and during television appear- ances in an effort to connect with the world's youth. Increased awareness led to business and community leaders joining together in Media, Pa., Amherst, Mass., and Milwaukee to declare themselves fair-trade cities, com- mitted to improving the quality of other communities around the world. In 2007, sales of fair-trade products hit $1 billion. Fair Trade USA has only been around as a brand identity since 2010. (Its former name was TransFair USA.) The organiza- In West Africa, South America and Central America, small- scale cacao farmers are benefiting from mega-companies like Cadbury and Nestle, who have recently converted a portion of their sourcing to fair-trade production. tion teaches free-market strategies to desti- tute farming communities. In West Africa, South America and Central America, small-scale cacao farmers are beginning to benefit from mega-companies like Cadbury and Nestle, which, succumbing to pres- sures from a growing demand (and competi- tion) for fair-trade chocolate, have recently converted a portion of their sourcing to fair-trade production. Ben & Jerry's, the ice-cream maker long associated with social responsibility, has gone further, making a commitment to use only fair-trade ingredi- ents whenever possible by 2013. Smaller Companies Signing Up Joyce Kushner, a confectioner making choc- olate truffles in the San Francisco Bay Area, has concentrated on fair-trade sourcing since launching her company, Coco-Zen, four years ago. She pays $1,000 a year to be able to use the Fair Trade Certified logo on her products. "It's a tough one for me to bite," she acknowledges, "but I believe in Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 336 54 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com