Fair Trade and Chocolate

1. Fair Trade and Chocolate Promoting a Fair and Sustainable Industry

2. The Global Nature of Chocolate • Global Influences • Europe is the largest cocoa-processing region • Local markets dictate taxes and currency fluctuations • Major Producers • South America • Africa • Asia

3. What Growers Lack • Education for children • Health care • Clean drinking water • Electricity • Teachers • Reliable transportation

4. The cocoa growing cycle is laborious • Seeds are picked, dried, and roasted • Seeds are shelled and dealkalized and reduced to produce cocoa liquor • Cocoa liquor is pressed to produce cocoa butter • Cocoa butter is mixed with sweeteners and emulsifying agents

5. Farmers isolated from the market • Cocoa-growing farmers often don’t have contact with the market • Cocoa prices are volatile • Buyers may misrepresent current world prices • May use child labor to reduce costs

6. What Is Fair Trade? • Above-market prices to growers • No slavery used in production of cocoa • Sustainable practices • Benefits to trading partners’ communities

7. How Big Is Cocoa Fair Trade? • Americans spend $13 billion a year on cocoa products • More than 42,000 fair-trade cocoa farmers • Fair-trade certified chocolate available from 10 origins

8. Ensuring Quality • Cocoa importers work with fair-trade cooperatives • Beans are tracked back to their origins • Quality control of fermentation levels

9. Map of global cocoa markets