February 22, 2019
For two weeks every year our friends over at Fairtrade celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight. From the 25th of February to the 10th of March thousands of individuals, companies and groups across the UK come together to celebrate the people who grow our food, people who live in some of the poorest countries in the world and who are often exploited and badly paid. This year Fairtrade are focusing on the people – in particular the women – who grow the cocoa in the chocolate we love so much.
She deserves £1.86
A key focus for Fairtrade Fortnight 2019 is the ‘She Deserves’ campaign, and it’s something that Ben & Jerry’s are glad to support. £1.86 is the amount a cocoa farmer in West Africa needs to earn each day in order to achieve a living income. Currently, a typical cocoa farmer in Cote d’Ivoire lives on around 74p a day. Almost all cocoa farmers in West Africa live in poverty.
For the women the situation is even worse. They may plant and harvest on the farm, look after children, carry water, collect wood, cook and clean for the family, and transport the cocoa beans to market but often with fewer rights than men.
Ben & Jerry’s and Fairtrade
Ben & Jerry’s is committed to sourcing Fairtrade-certified ingredients where we can make an impact on smallholder farmer livelihoods. Our focus has been on our five key commodities: sugar, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, and bananas We are working towards increasing the amount of Fairtrade-certified nuts in our ice cream. We work together with Fairtrade to bring social, economic and environmental benefits to farmers in our supply chain making their livelihoods more resilient and sustainable.
This year, to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight and raise awareness of the ‘She Deserves’ campaign, we’re giving out coupons for a free tub of Ben & Jerry’s at our scoop shop in Soho. All you need to do is say the words “She deserves” when making a purchase in-store and the staff will give you your coupon. We’d love you to give this coupon to someone in your life who deserves it (that could be yourself!). By buying Fairtrade products like Ben & Jerry’s you have already supported women farmers in West Africa, so why not show your appreciation to someone else important? The first 50 people to do this will get a coupon, so get down to the store soon!
