Articles

Chocolate: A Bittersweet Luxury
Farming and Agriculture, Food System, Alternative Trade Greta Merrick Farming and Agriculture, Food System, Alternative Trade Greta Merrick

Chocolate: A Bittersweet Luxury

While chocolate is considered a luxury for many of us, for small-scale farmers worldwide, it is their source of necessary income that often comes with the harsh realities of corporate control of the industry. The cocoa industry is highly consolidated with only four companies controlling nearly 90% of the chocolate market, giving them a huge amount of control over cacao farmers and the prices we see on the supermarket shelves. What does this mean for farmers and child labor and do individuals have a chance at transforming a broken system?

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Cooperative Partnerships Rule Over the Market
About Equal Exchange, Farming and Agriculture Liane About Equal Exchange, Farming and Agriculture Liane

Cooperative Partnerships Rule Over the Market

Dary Goodrich, our Chocolate Products Manager, was recently in Peru, where the cacao harvest is just beginning. With the current global shortage of cocoa and the unprecedented surge in cocoa prices, farmers shared that they were aware of the higher-than-normal prices at the end of last year and invested more in their farms to make sure they would have a great harvest. Dary reflects more on what is happening and what this means for our farmer partners and chocolate lovers like you.

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Unprecedented Chocolate Prices Reveal a Vulnerable Supply Chain
About Equal Exchange, Farming and Agriculture Liane About Equal Exchange, Farming and Agriculture Liane

Unprecedented Chocolate Prices Reveal a Vulnerable Supply Chain

While cocoa and chocolate are beloved products for many of us, they have been receiving attention lately related to a global shortage, and the causes and consequences linked to this shortage, including a spike in prices on grocery shelves. We at Equal Exchange want to share some inside perspectives about what’s happening in the cacao world, including how climate change, commodity markets, and alternative fair trade supply chains interrelate. It’s also an opportune time to focus some deserved attention on cacao farmers.

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Who Grows the Cacao in Your Chocolate?
Farming and Agriculture, About Equal Exchange Greta Merrick Farming and Agriculture, About Equal Exchange Greta Merrick

Who Grows the Cacao in Your Chocolate?

Starting around 2000, labor abuses in the cocoa industry began to get international attention. You may have heard about poverty wages, unsafe working conditions, the worst forms of child labor and even modern-day slavery. You may have heard that farming practices that damage the environment were common, too. But what’s going on with that now? Have things gotten any better? (Article updated February 2024)

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