Equal Exchange is an employee-owned cooperative that markets food from farmer cooperatives. A pioneer in the fair trade movement, Equal Exchange has challenged traditional trade models for over 20 years.
Not All Bananas Are Created Equal
Equal Exchange is making inroads challenging the banana industry, which is notorious for low wages and heavy chemical use. Equal Exchange partners with small-scale farmer co-ops in Peru and Ecuador. The fair prices that these small-scale farmers receive for their bananas enable them to improve their livelihoods, their communities, and to grow bananas organically. Part of the success of this trade model comes from the consumers who choose to buy fair trade bananas. In 2014, more than 11 million consumers purchased Equal Exchange bananas.
Join the Avocado Revolution
WSM shoppers have eagerly joined the “avocado revolution,” purchasing Equal Exchange avocados from PRAGOR Co-op, a group of small-scale avocado farmers in Michoacán, Mexico. This region of Mexico is considered the avocado capital of the world. However, powerful corporate interests have made it difficult for small-scale farmers to survive. In response, the farmers organized a coop to collectively control the entire process from growing to exporting. PRAGOR is composed of 20 producer members who each own an average of 10 acres of land, all 100% organic.
Today, the farmers sell their avocados through Equal Exchange, which guarantees a price that brings stability to the farmers and their families. Equal Exchange navigates the process of bringing the avocados to cooperatives across the US.
One Cashew at a Time
Equal Exchange’s most recent partnership is with Aprainores, a cashew nut cooperative in El Salvador. The families are subsistence farmers whose sole cash income is from their small cashew holdings. Together they own a processing plant so that they can market their own cashews thru Equal Exchange.