For me, this Valentine’s Day feels different. Yes, I’ve got chocolate on the mind—as Chocolate Products Manager, I think about it all the time—but there are two other things I keep coming back to. First is the current state of U.S. politics and the division that seems to be the defining character of our country at this time.
Blog
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Dary GoodrichFebruary 14, 2017 -
Equal ExchangeFebruary 7, 2017Categories:Over the course of our first 30 years, Equal Exchange has set out to do essentially three things: Build supply chains that work for small-scale farmers and their democratic organizations. The manifestation of this work in the U.S. market is high quality products at prices that can compete with the corporate-controlled food system. But to arrive at that point, countless hours and dollars have been expended, and many failures have been experienced along the way.
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Equal ExchangeJanuary 27, 2017Categories:The Women’s March on Washington (and elsewhere) on Jan. 21 brought many of us to the streets, to stand in solidarity with those most vulnerable to systems of oppression and prejudice. Our daily work to build supply chains for small-scale farmers touches many of the issues that were marched for, from climate change to gender justice to indigenous people’s rights. Here are some of the reasons we marched, in our own words.
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Equal ExchangeJanuary 23, 2017Categories:Equal Exchange Presidents Rob Everts and Rink Dickinson talk the future of Equal Exchange, the Fair Trade industry, and why we need your support now more than ever.
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Equal ExchangeJanuary 20, 2017Categories:For 30 years, Equal Exchange has worked tirelessly to build markets for small-scale farmers. This work places us firmly among those seeking to reform a wider food system dominated by corporate interests against the interests of small farmers, independent businesses and consumers.
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Equal ExchangeNovember 30, 2016Categories:
It may seem like a distant memory at this point, but you may recall that Ecuador was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in April of 2016. The epicenter of the earthquake was located near the town of Muisne – a community that is part of our partner organization UOPROCAE, or the Union of Producers of Cacao of Arriba Esmeraldas. One of the cities that suffered the worst infrastructure damage was Portoviejo, close to our other cacao partner organization Fortaleza del Valle. We reached out immediately to both groups and were very relieved to learn that there were no fatalities among the members and staff of the UOPROCAE or Fortaleza del Valle. However, damage to personal property and the property belonging to the farmer organizations is significant and will be slow to fully rebuild.
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Jessica Jones-HughesNovember 23, 2016Categories:Four years ago, the Equal Exchange banana team launched an avocado program knowing little about the avocado market and the realities of the industry in the U.S. We started our work in avocados because we met a small farmer co-op fighting for market access in an industry where farmer voices were absent. Equal Exchange has always had a non-traditional approach in the way that we craft our producer relationships and introduce new products. Not the typical, “there is a need in the market, let’s fill it;” instead we build through relationships.
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Rink DickinsonNovember 23, 2016Categories:I want to start by sharing about my personal politics.
I am a democratic socialist, an electoral aficionado, and someone who thinks a lot about U.S. and world history. My voting history is varied; at times I have voted for the Democratic Party, as well as third parties. And not that long ago I voted for a Republican for Senate in my state of Rhode Island. I have voted with and without excitement.
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Small Farmers Big ChangeNovember 23, 2016The following article was written by Rink Dickinson, President of Equal Exchange
I want to start by sharing about my personal politics.
I am a democratic socialist, an electoral aficionado, and someone who thinks a lot about U.S. and world history. My voting history is varied; at times I have voted for the Democratic Party, as well as third parties. And not that long ago I voted for a Republican for Senate in my state of Rhode Island. I have voted with and without excitement. -
Small Farmers Big ChangeNovember 12, 2016
The following article was written by Rob Everts, Co-President, Equal Exchange
Devastating. Disorienting. Frightening.
There’s no escaping it. Viscerally and pragmatically, the future looks really bleak as we absorb what transpired in this country last Tuesday.