An ethical way to satisfy coffee and chocolate cravings
How do you feel after your morning cup of coffee? Satisfied, alert, and perhaps a little buzzy?
If you purchase it from the right source, you can also feel good about contributing to the creation of a better world.
As we become more aware of the impact our food and beverage choices have on the environment and producers, it can feel as though there are fewer and fewer ways to unwind and enjoy ourselves.
Our morning coffee and mid-afternoon chocolate pick-me-ups suddenly taste less appealing when we learn that their production harmed the environment and exploited poorer communities.
The Fairtrade model enables producers in developing countries to collaborate with businesses in developed countries (such as New Zealand) within a framework that ensures fair trade and fair prices for farmers.
Consider the coffee and cocoa beans supplied by Fairtrade farmers in Papua New Guinea to New Zealand coffee and chocolate companies (PNG).
The Fairtrade mark can be found on a variety of products at New World, Countdown, Pak’nSave, Huckleberry, and Commonsense stores.
You’ll find the Fairtrade mark on a range of products at your local New World, Countdown, Pak’nSave, Huckleberry and Commonsense stores.
Gabriel Iso, Fairtrade’s PNG team leader, says that purchasing Fairtrade products from PNG allows New Zealanders to support our Pacific neighbours while also enjoying high-quality organic products.
“Produce from PNG is by default organic – firstly because the rich volcanic soils mean chemicals aren’t needed, and secondly because chemicals are too expensive and not readily available to rural farmers,” Iso says.
New Zealanders wanting to experience a taste of PNG without leaving home can find it in the Good Fortune Coffee Company’s Paradise Blend and the Wellington Chocolate Company’s limited-edition chocolate bar, using cocoa sourced from the developing nation. (To find out how to win one of ten prize packs containing both of these treats, read on.)
Iso says the Fairtrade relationship puts money directly into rural PNG farmers’ pockets, which is then invested into social, economic, environmental and community wellbeing to support their future sustainability. “It’s a very rich relationship to be able to make that connection of people helping people.”
