Trick or Treat? Why Fair Trade Halloween chocolate matters

Halloween is just around the corner, and that means it’s time for candy, trick-or-treating, costumes and more candy. Every year, Americans spend over a billion dollars on millions of pounds of Halloween chocolate — enough for every sweet tooth in the country and then some!

Where does all that chocolate come from? West Africa produces 70% of the world’s cacao (the main ingredient in chocolate,) and 40% of that comes from the Ivory Coast. Big corporations purchase most of this cacao from intermediaries to make the chocolate bars and candy that you see in stores worldwide.

View Image

The story behind that supply chain is a grim one: illegal child labor in West Africa is a problem that has plagued the chocolate industry for decades, with little improvement despite international pressure.

Without access to the market, many family-owned cacao farms rely on intermediaries to buy their crop, but these middlemen pay so little that many farmers struggle to get by. Out of desperation, some turn to illegal child labor and enlist kids from their extended families or communities to work excessively long, hazardous days in the field – to an abusive extreme far beyond normal chores or help.

Thousands of other children are trafficked from Mali and Burkina Faso and sold to cacao farmers in the Ivory Coast. These adolescents, desperate for work to help support their families, are deceived by traffickers who promise them good jobs. Once over the border, far from home and their own languages, these children are also forced to work long days of dangerous labor with no access to education, proper nutrition or health care. Most are unable to escape or seek help.

Despite this being a well-documented, ongoing crisis, we have seen little actual progress where it is needed most. And it is this cacao, harvested by exploited children, that often ends up in mainstream chocolate.

The Equal Exchange supply chain is different: we work with small farmer co-operatives in Peru, Panama, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. We have a close working relationship with our farmer partners and visit their co-ops often – we know them, and they know us. We’re invested in the well-being and success of the individuals, communities and small businesses behind our chocolate.

We’re working to promote a system that eliminates the desperation that causes some farmers to use unpaid laborers. In our system, there are no middlemen or brokers, and our producer partners receive above-market prices for their crops and other Fair Trade benefits. Additionally, nonprofit, independent certifying organizations monitor these cacao farms to verify that they follow fair labor standards. In every sweet square of our chocolate, there is integrity, honesty and pride.

You can help change the face of the chocolate industry and promote a system where all workers are paid a fair price. This year, give your neighbors a fairly traded treat: Halloween chocolate that supports fair wages, farmer-run businesses and sustainable agriculture. Celebrate the holiday by handing out chocolate that makes a statement in support of a healthy supply chain, and tell your neighbors why it matters to you.

It’s easy to add Fair Trade to any of your Halloween traditions. Our dark and milk Chocolate Minis are perfect for trick-or-treaters, and Halloween-themed baked goods taste even sweeter with fairly traded chocolate chips or baking cocoa. We’ve even collected some of our favorite recipes for you to try.

Take a break from scary stories and spread the word about fairly traded Halloween chocolate — better for farmers, communities and kids all over the world. This year, celebrate with us and Fair Trade your Halloween.

Drink A Better K-Cup With Equal Exchange Single Serve Coffee

The coffee world is always changing and evolving – that’s part of what makes it so exciting. Lately, there’s been a lot of buzz about Keurig* coffee makers and K-cup* single serve coffee, and everyone at Equal Exchange has been in on the conversation. We’ve been listening, too, to the concerns and preferences of our customers and doing everything we can to learn about this new corner of the coffee market. After many months of discussion and development, we have an exciting announcement: Equal Exchange is now offering three of our most popular blends in single serve cups for your Keurig. We’re proud to be able to offer you a single serve cup that’s truly different: environmentally friendly, good for farmers and absolutely delicious.

We’re no stranger to environmental issues, and we’ve been paying attention to the conversation about waste that surrounds typical, disposable K-cups. Because sustainability is important to us, and we know it’s important to you, we researched many manufacturing options to find the best, most environmentally friendly cup and packaging available. What we found is really exciting: a cup that is #5 recyclable plastic with a recyclable aluminum lid and an 88% compostable filter. This is a big step forward from most cups on the market, and we intend to follow the latest developments in single serve packaging in order to bring you the best.

Better still, this new product line is exciting for our farmer partners, who will directly benefit from more of their organic, Fair Trade coffee reaching the market. We’re excited to bring 100% organic, small farmer coffee to the millions of people who already choose single serve coffee every day. Small-scale farmers need your support and the support of the marketplace, and it’s beneficial for our partners to be included in this new coffee territory. The more certified organic, Fair Trade coffee that we can buy from our partners, the more they can grow their communities, strengthen their farms and support their families – it’s a real difference!

And of course, our quality control team (and our body of coffee-loving worker-owners) is devoted to great-tasting, superior quality coffee. We all have our favorite brew method, and know that the excellence of a good pour-over or French press is, of course, incomparable! But for convenience and versatility cup-by-cup (which we know many of you want) the single serve cup is the frontrunner. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice taste for convenience; that’s why we’ve worked hard to merge these two worlds, using a proprietary grind ratio and selecting the most popular blends to give you the best tasting K-cup. The end result? A single serve cup that we have tested, tasted and loved. Finally, you can have the exceptional taste and quality you expect from Equal Exchange, in a way that works for you and your Keurig.

We know that many of you already brew K-cups or know someone who does, so why not enjoy a better cup? Bring Equal Exchange coffee to your office, congregation, school, home or anywhere Keurig-style machines are found. Drink up some organic, small farmer-grown coffee and savor the taste of your favorite blend. Toss the cup and lid in your recycling bin, add the grounds and filter to the compost for your garden, and then let us know what you think!

To learn more about this exciting new addition to our line of coffees, check out our single serve coffee main page.

If you have a Keurig-style brewer and would prefer a reusable brew cup, buy our favorite one here!

*Equal Exchange is not affiliated with KEURIG, Inc. “KEURIG®” and “K-CUP®” are registered trademarks of KEURIG, Inc. Not compatible with KEURIG® VUE® or 2.0 Brewing systems

Will’s Swirly Bars

Swirly Bars Close-up
0 from 0 votes
Print

Will's Swirly Bars

Course Dessert
Keyword Chocolate

Ingredients

  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 3/4 c. Equal Exchange Organic Chocolate Chips Semisweet, Bittersweet or a mixture of both
  • 1/2 c. white sugar
  • 1/2 c. dark brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda dissolve with 1 tsp hot water
  • 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1-1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour 8×8 in pan.
  2. Cream the butter, white sugar, and dark brown sugar. Add the egg and mix again. Add baking soda (dissolve with 1 tsp hot water), pure vanilla extract, and kosher salt. Beat 1-2 minutes until creamy and fluffy. Add the flour and mix until incorporated.
  3. Spread mixture in prepared 8×8 pan until even. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the spread mixture.
  4. Bake for 5 minutes to melt the chips. Remove from oven and using a butter knife "swirl" the chocolate throughout the batter (go up, down and then across). Return to oven and bake for an additional 16-17 minutes. Bars will still look a little soft when you remove them, don't overbake!
  5. This recipe may be easily doubled and put in a 9×13 pan, as well. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Recipe submitted by Debra and Will Schreiber, Mill Valley, California

Chocolate Smoothie

Smoothie with chocolate chips and cashews
0 from 0 votes
Print

Chocolate Smoothie

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Drinks
Keyword Cocoa, Nuts
Servings 4 1-cup servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Put the cashews and water in a blender and puree until the cashews dissolve and you have cashew milk. Add the yogurt, cocoa, honey, chia seeds and vanilla extract to the blender. Blend all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the sweetness, if desired.

Recipe Notes

Recipe developed for Equal Exchange by Leslie Cerier, The Organic Gourmet

Cashew Coconut Fudgesicles

Plate of fudgesicles, with strawberries
0 from 0 votes
Print

Cashew Coconut Fudgesicles

Course Dessert
Keyword Cocoa, Nuts
Servings 8 fudgesicles

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Put the cashews and water in a blender and blend until creamy and the cashews dissolve. Add the coconut milk, cocoa powder, honey and vanilla extract. Blend all the ingredients. Taste and adjust the sweetness, if desired. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight.

Recipe Notes

Recipe developed for Equal Exchange by Leslie Cerier, The Organic Gourmet

Chocolate Almond Nutty Bars

 

Chocolate almond bars
0 from 0 votes
Print

Chocolate Almond Nutty Bars

Course Snack
Keyword Almonds, Chocolate
Servings 4 bars

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Coarsely chop almonds in a food processor. Add and blend in raisins, coconut oil, honey, vanilla and salt. Shape the almond raisin mixture into bars (about five inches long, ½ inch high and two inches wide). Melt the chocolate and pour over the tops of the whole bars. Refrigerate to harden the chocolate. Serve or store in a jar in the refrigerator.

Recipe Notes

Makes four large bars

Recipe developed for Equal Exchange by Leslie Cerier, The Organic Gourmet

Chocolate-Covered Apples On A Stick

Ingredients

Directions

Wash and dry apple. Stick a candy-apple type stick (or something similar) into the stem. Make sure it is stable.

Melt chocolate and oil in a bowl for 60 seconds, stirring every twenty seconds, until fully melted. The chocolate and oil should be evenly combined and the texture should be smooth. If the chocolate seems dry or clumpy, add a bit more oil- though there will be tiny caramel and sea salt crystals in the chocolate.

Place the apple in the bowl with melted chocolate. Using a spoon, cover the apple in chocolate and smooth out as best you can. Take apple out of bowl and make sure it is evenly coated.

Set apple down on wax paper or a plate, with the stick pointing up. Refrigerate for at least half of an hour.

Eat soon after refrigeration.

Multiply the ingredients for desired quantity.

Frighteningly Scrumptious Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 2/3 cups flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 15oz pureed pumpkin
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup butter – melted
  • 1 cup Equal Exchange Organic Chocolate Chips 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease muffin pan(s) or line with muffin papers. Mix flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, break eggs and add pumpkin and butter. Stir rapidly until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour over dry ingredients and fold in. Do not over mix. Scoop into pan and bake 20-25 minutes. They should still seem a little underdone when removed from the oven – test with a toothpick.

Halloween Chocolate Cupcakes

 

Halloween Chocolate Cupcakes
0 from 0 votes
Print

Halloween Chocolate Cupcakes

Course Dessert
Keyword Chocolate, Cocoa, Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

For the frosting:

  • 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter softened
  • 1/3 c. vegetable shortening
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 4 to 5 c. glazing sugar or confectioners' sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract Pure Vanilla Plus, or a mixture of both
  • 1/4 to 1/3 c. milk
  • Natural Food Dye

Instructions

Cupcakes:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips. Set aside.
  3. In a large measuring cup or medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, oil, and vinegar. Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing until everything is well combined.
  4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling the cups about 3/4 full.
  5. Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of one of the middle cupcakes comes out clean.
  6. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, and as soon as you can handle them, remove them from the pan, and transfer to a rack to cool. Store cooled cupcakes airtight.

Frosting:

  1. Beat together the butter, shortening, and salt.
  2. Add the sugar, vanilla, and ¼ c. milk, and beat until fluffy. Add additional milk if the frosting seems too stiff to spread.
  3. Split frosting into two separate bowls and color as desired.

Recipe Notes

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

Our Cup Of Organic Tea: Empowered Farmers, Better Trade

When do you enjoy our fairly traded, organic tea? Whether it’s a warm cup in the morning or tall glass of iced tea on a summer afternoon, tea is a refreshing and delicious complement to any relaxing moment. In every cup of Equal Exchange tea, there’s the story of farmers and workers who are building better lives and a better model for bringing that tea to your pot.

Our organic teas come from small-scale farms in India, Sri Lanka and South Africa. While most tea on the market (even Fair Trade certified!) comes from large plantations and estates, Equal Exchange partners with co-operatives of family farms and small-scale land owners. Purchasing organic tea directly from democratically organized groups of farmers ensures that workers, not plantation owners, reap the benefits.

But the principles that make our tea trade model fair and successful (and blazed a trail in the coffee and cocoa trade) are still extremely uncommon in the tea industry. We believe in trade that:

  • strengthens the autonomy of small farmer organizations
  • promotes among farmers a sense of ownership and control over one’s business
  • encourages entrepreneurship
  • builds and strengthens a sense of community
  • encourages debate and participatory decision making

We believe that “Fair Trade” should mean “small farmer,” and our relationships reflect that.

Each of our producer partners is unique, with a storied history of ambition, struggle and success. Over the years they have worked to set themselves apart in a historically oppressive industry. And we are proud to be working with them and bringing their organic tea to your table.

Producer Snapshot

In India, we work with four organizations. Tea Promoters of India (TPI) are pioneers of environmental and social reform in the tea industry, supporting small tea farmers by helping them gain access to international markets. Through TPI, Equal Exchange has been able to connect with other small tea farmers seeking international market access and support.

This includes the Potong Tea Garden, previously a colonial plantation that has been reclaimed by workers, the Mineral Springs Co-op which is one of the first small tea farming initiatives in the plantation-controlled region of Darjeeling, and the Small Farmers Tea Project in Kerala, which focuses on economic growth and control for its historically marginalized members.

In Sri Lanka, we work with the Small Organic Farmer’s Association (SOFA) and Bio Foods, organizations working toward prosperous communities and a healthy local environment. With over 1600 small-scale, landowning members today, SOFA is a thriving example of small tea growers’ success. Bio Foods, with a mission to provide market access to small farmers, processes and packs all of SOFA’s tea. As part of this system, Sri Lankan tea farmers are able to stay on their land, support their families and maintain vibrant communities.

The Wupperthal Original Rooibos Co-operative in the Cederburg Region of South Africa is a democratically organized group of farmers who have been growing rooibos for generations. Pushed off their land in the 1800s, they have endured the apartheid era and struggled to reclaim their livelihoods and thrive on the fringes of fertile land.

Now they grow their tea in the rocky terrain of the Cederburg Mountains, which presents numerous challenges – though the slow growth of their rooibos actually produces a higher quality tea. Today, 98% of the world’s rooibos is grown on plantations, making the Wupperthal Co-operative a unique example of alternative tea production.

There is still work to be done and progress to be made in making big change in the tea industry – but with your support, these innovative and resilient farmers are leading the way. Brew another cup and enjoy!

Shop for fairly traded, organic tea.

Learn more about our tea farmer partners.