So March has come to an end, which means the end of another thrilling Equal Exchange Banana Month. This post marks the last of a three-part series that digs deep into the web documentary Beyond the Seal (missed Part 1 and Part 2?). This March, we have been overwhelmed with the enthusiasm and energy around Equal Exchange bananas and Beyond the Seal. While March may be over, we want to keep the momentum and conversations around Beyond the Seal going. We’ll continue to promote Beyond the Seal throughout the year and hope you’ll do the same! We also have some very exciting avocado news to share! Read on… A recap: Beyond the Seal is a bold, intriguing piece that dives into the realities of small-scale banana farming. Beyond the Seal is a web documentary divided into 5 chapters. THIS WEEK: Watch Chapter 3 In Chapter 3, dig into the timeline of the banana industry and uncover the details of its nefarious past. Then meet Rink, founder and CEO of Equal Exchange, and Nicole, President of Equal Exchange Bananas, to learn about Equal’s foray into the banana trade ten years ago. GO further, get together with your staff and answer the following questions: After reading the banana timeline, what events or details stand out? Were you aware of this dark history of the banana trade? Bananas are a loss leader and retail prices are kept artificially low due to the fear that raising the price would drive consumers away. Discuss this price perception with special attention to your store’s banana price. See this Vox article on bananas to further inform your discussion. Watch now at beyondtheseal.com Banana Month Buzz

Celebrating Banana Month with smoothies made with pedaling power at City Market in Burlington, VT. Nicole and Ravdeep demo with some delicious banana ice-cream at Middlebury Co-op in Vermont. Check out this charming article by Abundance Co-opin Rochester, NY.

EXCITING AVOCADO NEWS: The Equal Exchange avocado season will be extended beyond March! Pragor avocado co-op started working with growers at higher altitudes in Mexico. That means you’ll continue to see Equal avocados offered so keep the avocado love flowing! Equal Exchange bananas had fun in March creating this step-by-step video on making chocolate covered bananas!

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By Frankie Pondolph, Equal Exchange Sales Representative

Frankie Pondolph and Laurie Foote, Equal Exchange Sales Representatives, with Naama Haviv, Executive Director of the Panzi Foundation USA

It was a humbling experience to represent Equal Exchange, along with my co-worker Laurie, at the honorary reception of Dr. Denis Mukwege for his work at the Panzi hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Dr. Mukege has been awarded the 2016 Reinfield Award on behalf of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing for his work in Women’s Global Health. The hospital attempts to provide a sanctuary for healing, both physically and mentally for all those affected by the violence in the DNC.

Equal Exchange’s connection to the Panzi Hospital was formed in 2011 through the Congo Coffee Project, a collaboration between Equal Exchange and the Panzi Foundation. Through this project, Equal Exchange brings Congolese coffee to the U.S. market; with the aim of raising awareness of the crimes of sexual violence committed every day in the DRC.  Through sales of our Congo Coffee, we have also raised more than $60,000 to directly support the work being done to help victims of this violence heal.

Last evening, I was among fifteen or so people from across the United States who were in some way connected to, or inspired by, the work of the Panzi Hospital. Executive Director of the Panzi Foundation USA, Naama Haviv, spoke chillingly of her work with Dr. Mukwege and the strategic efforts Panzi USA is doing to advocate for the women, children and men affected by sexual violence. Naama spoke of the word “empowerment” as something that cannot be given, as in “to empower,” but rather, true empowerment is something that can only be found within oneself.

Laurie and Frankie, with Dr. Denis Mukwege

Dr. Mukwege then spoke of his work at the Panzi Hospital to physically heal women who have been sexually abused. His work to heal the victims affected by the horrific violence committed in the DRC is only a piece of the puzzle towards greater healing and social justice. Dr. Mukwege defined justice as the ability to use one’s voice to speak out and through this action, to create an opportunity to heal.

Dr. Mukwege remarked that too many people today close their eyes and ears to the injustices around the world; what one cannot see or hear does not exist. As I stood next to the group of fifteen likeminded people attending the reception, I reflected on our ability to use our voices. Dr. Mukwege reminded us all this evening that each one of us has something to give and that something is the ability to speak out about what is happening every day in the Congo. I will be encouraging people to use their voices as tools for their own empowerment, and to take action. The Congo Coffee project and the work of Dr. Mukwege and the Panzi Foundation are vehicles we can all use to collectively open our ears and eyes to what is happening, to call attention to these crimes, and to demand justice.

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