Small Farmers. Big Change.

There are no two ways around it: Equal Exchange is experiencing a tricky and protracted period of disruption in banana supply. Equal Exchange works with independent 3rd parties along our chain, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Our reason for existence is to purchase bananas fairly from small-scale producers while challenging the undemocratic nature of the multinational model. Our goal is to also supply consistent and quality bananas on the store level.While upsets in our chain may be common, they tend to be isolated blips that we work hard to minimize. This has not been the case more recently. We’ve had consistent shipping delays and increased examinations at the port, which combined with the other elements of the supply chain, lead to quality problems. As a result of these issues, you might be seeing crown rot on fruit. You might also be seeing greener bananas resulting from inconsistent deliveries to ripeners and distributors. (Learn more about our supply chain here).

We are working to make changes that will show improvement on the store level:

We are diversifying our shipping lines.
We are diversifying our ports of arrival.
We are continuously communicating with producers and distributors regarding quality.

We remain highly accountable to our work and are available to answer any questions.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Fairtrade is about connecting consumers to farmersReal-life disruptions can lead to conversations about how fairtrade products are different. Share this newsletter.Here are some other ideas about how to promote World Fairtrade Day on May 10th!

Use this social media guide

Raising awareness makes us stronger together!

Read what people are saying!Aliza Wasserman wrote this piece about authentic fairtrade bananas after attending the Equal Exchange Banana Conference in March. It covers a lot of ground so it’s a great discussion piece!
Read it here.Erik Larson wrote this piece for the St. Peter Food Co-op, where he is Produce Manager. It also covers what he learned while in Boston at the Banana Conference. Read it here.

AND HAPPY WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY!

Please be in touch with any more requests for banana suits, demo ideas and marketing needs. You can email operations@okeusa.com or call774-776-7361 with any questions.You can find more resources on our website: 
http://beyondthepeel.com/resources.html