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Growing & Environment

Group of women cooks at a table full of bananas and cakes, under a sign reading 'Bienvenidos'

4/21/2021

How a bruised banana can save the world

The Mujeres Emprendedoras Delicias Tengueleñas share recipes created from bananas at different stages of ripeness. Over the past year, we have had to adjust…

Cecilia representing AsoGuabo as board member at a local school and Fairtrade premium funding recipient

11/13/2020

Power to the (Women) Farmers

In the fair trade world, farmers form the backbone of the supply chain and are essential partners for the businesses with whom they work. However…

9/16/2020

Funding Sustainable Futures Through Beekeeping

Mexico is the world’s top exporter of avocados (Produce Blue Book, 2019). Geographic proximity to the U.S., climate and environmental conditions, and ease…

3/20/2020

Fighting TR4 at Your Grocery Store: A Consumer Action Guide

This is part 3 of a series from the Equal Exchange banana team, exploring the threat of Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 to banana production…

A worker in rubber boots looks up at banana plants.

3/13/2020

What’s a Farmer to Do? TR4 and Small-Scale Producers

In Part One of this series on Latin American banana production in the shadow of TR4, we shared an introduction to Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race…

2/28/2020

Banana Production in the Shadow of TR4

This is Part One of a three-part blog series from the Equal Exchange Banana Team exploring the threat of TR4 banana production in Latin…

7/14/2019

Shade-Grown Coffee

Shade-grown coffee is as natural as it comes — the low-to-the-ground plant thrives as part of a healthy ecosystem surrounded by…

4/22/2019

Earth Day Stories: Leaders in Sustainable Agriculture

It’s not a secret: due to human activity – particularly the activity of the most privileged – the Earth is in crisis. This year…

3/28/2019

Sugarcane Farming in Paraguay: Turning up the Heat for Future Generations

Last December, members of Equal Exchange’s chocolate team met with our sugarcane co-op partners, Manduvira. Located in the Southern Hemisphere, Paraguay experiences its…

3/14/2019

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

The U.S. market tends to treat bananas as commodities, as in unspecialized products that are virtually interchangeable, regardless of origin. Following a century of…

An aerial view of red bandanas spelling out "cacao" with farmers gathered around.

2/26/2019

Episode 4: Farmers Sharing Knowledge for Better Chocolate — and Better Outcomes

Hey, it’s another episode of The Stories Behind Our Food, live and ready for you to listen! Here it is! You can hear…

Men in Ethiopia hold small paper cups of fair trade organic coffee

2/1/2019

Natural Process Coffee

Have you ever tried natural process coffee? If you have, you probably noticed a difference! Known as “naturals” in the specialty coffee industry, these coffees…

10/15/2018

Who Grows Your Chocolate? An Update

You probably already know that cacao is the crop from which cocoa and chocolate are made. West African countries like Ghana and Côte d…

10/8/2018

USAID Grants and the Democracy of Information

We recently interviewed Cristina Liberati, who administers grants that support farmer cooperatives in Latin America as they improve their quality, productivity, and financial stability. Because…