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fair foods

Thu, Jan 3, 2019 - 12:35pm

The Pasture Ahead: A Path to Organizing

Frankie Pondolph
January 3, 2019
Tagged: 
co-ops
fair foods
fair trade
food system

Being new at Equal Exchange has been like returning to school. I am constantly learning the intricacies of building supply chains that support producers beyond what a “fair-trade” label could mean. What drew me to Equal Exchange was their unconventional worker-owned cooperative model, and the farmer partners who are supported to stay on their land and to have more bargaining power as small farmers collectively. Working in small-scale agriculture in the U.S. has exposed me to the realities and obstacles around land tenure, access, and security that prevent a lot of people from entering into agriculture and also staying in it.

Mon, Oct 8, 2018 - 6:05pm

Cooperative Bananas, In Dollars and Cents

Frankie Pondolph
October 8, 2018
Tagged: 
bananas
fair foods
fair trade

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.

Thu, May 17, 2018 - 3:13pm

Building a Movement of Small Farmers in Peruvian Avocados

Frankie Pondolph
May 17, 2018
Tagged: 
fair foods
food system

Jessica Jones-Hughes & Ravdeep Jaidka of OKE, USA

Over the last decade, avocados have transitioned from an exotic fruit to a grocery staple, finding a place in U.S. kitchens on a weekly basis. Last year, avocados surpassed bananas as the most valuable fruit import in the U.S. This statistic alone speaks to the immense boom that avocados have seen in the U.S. market.

Mon, Mar 5, 2018 - 2:04pm

Why Small Farmers

Frankie Pondolph
March 5, 2018
Tagged: 
bananas
co-ops
fair foods

There are many tangible pieces to the Equal Exchange model. Organic. Fair Trade. Small Farmers. Cooperatives. While these are all important elements of our holistic approach toward trade, the small farmer piece is critical. First and foremost, the Equal Exchange mission is to give small farmers a place in the global marketplace. This is exactly why our tagline reads Small Farmers. Big Change.

Tue, Jan 2, 2018 - 11:09am

Cozy Up: Book and Film Picks for the New Year

Ashley Symons
January 2, 2018
Tagged: 
co-ops
environment
fair foods
fair trade
food system

With the start of a new year often comes reflection and resolution: eat healthier, save money, cook more. It's also really cold and dark in much of the country, which can mean increased time spent indoors. In this spirit, we'd thought we'd share some film and book recommendations from our Action Forum community.

Tue, Sep 26, 2017 - 11:45am

It's All Connected

Frankie Pondolph
September 26, 2017
Tagged: 
environment
fair foods
fair trade
food system

A year ago we hosted Tomy Mathew at our first Action Forum event at Kickstand Cafe in Arlington, Mass. Tomy works with Fair Trade Alliance Kerala (FTAK), a small farmer organization in Kerala, India, that supplies cashews to Equal Exchange. FTAK was formed during the agrarian crisis that set producers in a cycle of poverty and indebtedness; farmers were not getting paid the cost of production for their crop. 

Thu, Jul 13, 2017 - 10:05am

A Day of Learning at Burroughs Family Farm

Jenica Caudill
July 13, 2017
Tagged: 
fair foods
food system

Here on the Equal Exchange blog, we often discuss the woes surrounding the consolidation of natural foods, from the farm level to the store level. Equally as important though, are the discussions around family farmers who are creating success, even along the inherently difficult path that is organic farming. Earlier this month, myself and several others at Equal Exchange had the opportunity to visit with our almond partners, Burroughs Family Farms. At their farm outside Denair, Calif., we shared a meal, toured the grounds, and learned about their methods of organic, regenerative agriculture.

Tue, May 16, 2017 - 1:49pm

Q&A: A Conversation with Edith Stacey-Huber

Ashley Symons
May 16, 2017
Tagged: 
fair foods
food system

Edith Stacey-Huber is passionate about food. She is the creator of the food buying club Authentic Provisions just outside of Ann Arbor, Mich. Authentic Provisions aims to reconnect people in the community to the food, land and farmers who sustain them, through collective purchasing outside of the corporate food system. Edith is also a member of the Equal Exchange Action Forum and will be presenting at our upcoming People’s Food System Summit on June 9-10.

Wed, Nov 23, 2016 - 2:18pm

Giving Thanks for Avocados

Jessica Jones-Hughes
November 23, 2016
Tagged: 
fair foods

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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