Hello Summer! Humidity, sunshine and travel. If you are like most, your summer schedule is already filling up rapidly. With travel comes the hassle of meal planning on the go…..eating out more, grabbing junk food at the convenience store - we all do it. The past few years, I have challenged myself to continue to live out my principles of eating nutritious food, and eating food from companies and farmers that I believe in, while on the road. What? Is this possible in a world where most people can’t even eat this way in their home?
Tags: fair foods
-
Phyllis_RobinsonMay 28, 2013The cold winter months were brightened up a bit when the Equal Exchange warehouse in Portland notified us that our first shipment of Salvadoran cashews had arrived. The nuts were so tasty they were practically sold before we could unpack the container. Once in the stores, the response was tremendous. Sales reps were hanging up the phones and reporting unexpectedly large orders. We immediately contacted Aprainores and asked for twice the quantity from the following year’s harvest. We were not going to have a problem selling these tasty snacks. Our challenge was actually the reverse: Aprainores already has two Fair Trade buyers in Europe, the trees are over fifty years old, and the co-op doesn’t have a lot of extra resources to put into farm maintenance: so how can we get more?
-
Phyllis_RobinsonMay 18, 2013
Coffee. Tea. Chocolate. Bananas. Almonds. Olive Oil. Geobars. Last year we decided to add cashew nuts into the mix of new products we sell to food co-ops and consumers. You could sense the excitement in the meeting rooms of Equal Exchange from the moment the decision was made. For over twenty five years, food co-ops have been some of our strongest allies. They helped Equal Exchange launch the fair trade movement when we were just starting out, bringing Nicaraguan coffee from small farmer co-operatives into the U.S. for the first time.
-
Phyllis_RobinsonMarch 18, 2013
How many of you shop at a farmer’s market when you have the chance? Especially when you’re traveling, don’t you love stumbling upon a local farmer’s market wherever you are? What better way to get to know a new place than by seeing what food is being produced in the area, and to see, smell, and touch the products; having the chance to meet the actual growers and learn what’s involved in the cultivation and processing of the food you’ll soon be eating is an extra bonus. Two years ago, when Equal Exchange decided to bring Geobars into the U.S., I couldn’t help but think of this new product in much the same way: that these cereal bars were akin to walking through an international farmer’s market, where apricots from Pakistan, blueberries and honey from Chile, rice from India and Thailand, and raisins from Chile and South Africa were being presented… only in my scenario, through our Geobars, we bring the farmer’s market direct to you!
-
Phyllis_RobinsonMarch 16, 2013
I woke up this morning in Valdivia, the principal city in this southern province of Chile. Quite a beautiful one, situated at the juncture of four rivers: Rio Calle Calle, Rio Valdivia, Rio Cruces, and the Rio Cau Cau. I arrived here around 7:00 pm last night and as we drove past the Rio Valdivia, lined with a beautiful walkway, it was full of strollers, kids playing, and crowds gathered around food and beverage stands, giving it a holiday feel. The river was full of crew boats, kayaks, and tour boats which take visitors around the various rivers to the nearby forts, cloud forests and other attractions for which the region is known.
-
Jessica Jones-HughesFebruary 20, 2013At Equal Exchange, we are thrilled to open up a new supply chain: organic cashews grown by small-scale farmers in El Salvador. Delicious, sustainably grown, revolutionary for the nut trade - and they’re a healthy snack. What more could you ask for in a product?
-
Jessica Jones-HughesJuly 30, 2012
The sun is shining, grills are fired up, and local organic produce is abundant at food co-ops - all good signs that summer is in full swing. -
Jessica Jones-HughesApril 2, 2012
You know spring is here when the colorful crocus start to sprout and there's still sunlight during the evening commute. Even though we experienced a mild winter here in New England, I am still feeling that yearly inner yearning to get outside now that spring is officially here. -
-
Jessica Jones-HughesJanuary 30, 2012
Have you ever noticed feeling extra tired during the winter months? Less energy to do the things you usually do, like exercising or playing with your kids? As we shift into winter, the sun goes down earlier and rises later, the temperature drops, and our energy levels tend to follow. Not all of us are prone to the winter pull; some find the cold reenergizing. Regardless of which side of the fence you fall on, the below tips may boost your mood and help you feel stronger and healthier during the winter months.
