Relationships in the Time of COVID

Relationships in the Time of COVID

Despite the extra layer of stresses and worries the pandemic is causing, we at Equal Exchange are also feeling a depth of gratitude and affection for the myriad relationships that we have cultivated over these past four decades. Creating, maintaining, and deepening relationships are the pillars that our organization and our business model are built upon.

Read More
Learn the Story of the Black Farmers Who Grow Equal Exchange Pecans

Learn the Story of the Black Farmers Who Grow Equal Exchange Pecans

When you own the land you farm, you decide what to plant, when to harvest, and which maintenance methods to use. More importantly, you’re the one who controls your own livelihood. For Black farmers in the United States, land ownership is tied to freedom. But systematic racial discrimination has pushed many out of agriculture.

Read More
Interview: Supporting Youth in Agriculture at Manduvira Cooperative

Interview: Supporting Youth in Agriculture at Manduvira Cooperative

Manduvira Cooperative in Paraguay is world-renowned for being the first sugar mill owned and run by an agricultural cooperative. In addition to the co-op’s pressing worries about climate change, Manduvira also faces the challenge of an aging farming population. The cooperative is making a concerted effort to include youth in their work to come up with climate change mitigation strategies.

Read More
Cooperative Bananas, in Dollars and Cents

Cooperative Bananas, in Dollars and Cents

When you purchase a conventional banana at a grocery store, there are certain costs that your everyday low price covers: the fruit itself; the international shipping costs; the trucking from the warehouse to the grocery stores. These costs are internalized, meaning they’re accounted for in the final price you pay. But there are hidden costs to banana production that you won’t pay a cent for at the cash register.

Read More
Unconventional Bananas in Peru: Interview with Julio Oscar Gallegos Herrera-Rambla

Unconventional Bananas in Peru: Interview with Julio Oscar Gallegos Herrera-Rambla

Equal Exchange works with a movement of independent businesses–farmer co-ops, distributors, stores–to create a banana supply chain that is unconventional at every step. In a sensitive industry, we look to the farmer organizations revolutionizing the banana trade to envision a future in which the industry represents and benefits all stakeholders.

Read More
Why Peruvian Avocados Matter

Why Peruvian Avocados Matter

If you’re a U.S. consumer, 8 out of 10 times your avocado will come from Michoacán, Mexico. There are various reasons for this Mexican dominance of the U.S. avocado market, like geographic proximity. However, as consumer demand has continued to boom, it has become clear that other origins are needed to provide a stable and reliable year-round supply for consumers.

Read More