On this episode of the Healthy Family Project Podcast, we’re joined by Kim Chackal to get a crash course on all things Fair Trade. You may have heard the term or seen the label on a coffee package, but what does it mean? Kim breaks down what the Fairtrade label means, how much more expensive are Fairtrade products, and how Fairtrade agreements help farmers.

Podcast Episode 79: What is Fair Trade?

These days, there are so many labels and buzzwords on food packaging, it’s hard to decipher what they all mean. One label that you’ve probably seen or heard of is the Fairtrade label. The most common fair trade commodities are coffee, sugar, tea, chocolate, and bananas. We were lucky enough to be joined by Kim Chackal to pick her brain and get the 101 on all things Fairtrade.

Healthy Family Project Podcast Episode 79: What is Fair Trade?

Fairtrade is a global movement that seeks to create standards in the production and supply of certain products. The overall goal is to foster equitable trading partnerships based on transparency and sustainability. Fairtrade partnerships protect the farmers, ensuring they receive fair prices and have safe working conditions.

Fair Trade Healthy Family Project Podcast

About Our Guest, Kim Chackal

Kim is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Equifruit. Over the past 7 years, she has established Equifruit as the Canadian market leader for Fairtrade bananas and her sights are set on global Fairtrade domination. 

Her fearless and bold approach is making waves in the produce industry.  In 2021, Kim was recognized as “Produce Person of the Year” by the Ontario Produce Marketing Association. With 20 years of sales experience, she loves challenging people to rethink their consumption habits and consider Fairtrade as a sustainable solution in produce.

Listen to What is Fairtrade?

What We Cover:

Want to skip straight to a hot topic? See timestamps below. But of course, we recommend listening all the way through to get all the great tips and tricks!

  • 3:20 Get to know Kim
  • 5:25 What is Fairtrade?
  • 11:25 Common Fairtrade items
  • 12:16 How much more expensive are Fairtrade products?
  • 17:00 Fairtrade bananas
  • 19:50 Fairtrade chocolate
  • 21:40 The future of Fairtrade
  • 25:38 What does a healthy family mean to you?

Other Podcast Episodes to Check Out:

Healthy Family Project Facebook Group

Join our Healthy Family Project Facebook group! This group will serve as a safe space for parents and caregivers to talk all about raising a healthy family – from dealing with a picky eater and tips to get more fruits and veggies onto plates to exercising as a family and mental health. We welcome all of you to join in!

Listener Survey!

Thank you so much for supporting the Healthy Family Project Podcast! We’d love it if you could take 5 minutes to let us know how we can bring you the best possible content for future episodes. Take the survey here.


Healthy Family Project Podcast

Conversations covering hot topics in the world of health, food and family with a dose of fun. Helping families ease their way into a new fresh and healthy world.

Be on the lookout for new bi-weekly episodes and don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcasting site. If you like an episode, make sure to leave a rating and comment.

If you are interested in being a guest on the Healthy Family Project podcast, contact amanda@healthyfamilyproject.com with your topic idea for consideration.


Transcript for Episode 79

This transcript was produced by Otter.Ai. Please forgive any misspellings and grammatical errors.

Episode 79: What is Fair Trade?

1

00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:14,320

Welcome to the Healthy Family Project Podcast, covering the hot topics in the world of health,

2

00:00:14,320 –> 00:00:17,360

food, and family with a dose of fun.

3

00:00:17,360 –> 00:00:20,120

Welcome to the Healthy Family Project Podcast.

4

00:00:20,120 –> 00:00:24,520

Whether you are a new listener or have been through all of our episodes, I am glad to

5

00:00:24,520 –> 00:00:26,340

have you here today.

6

00:00:26,340 –> 00:00:32,560

I’m your host Amanda and we have an interesting topic to tackle today, but first a few reminders.

7

00:00:32,560 –> 00:00:37,480

Be sure to join our Facebook group where we are chatting daily about hot topics in the

8

00:00:37,480 –> 00:00:39,840

world of everything in the world of family.

9

00:00:39,840 –> 00:00:44,860

Really, it’s a safe space to share and receive info and tips from others.

10

00:00:44,860 –> 00:00:51,520

You can also ask me direct questions in the group and share podcasts, thoughts, or ideas.

11

00:00:51,520 –> 00:00:54,780

I’d certainly love to hear from you.

12

00:00:54,780 –> 00:00:59,000

Make sure you are following Healthy Family Project on your social networks.

13

00:00:59,000 –> 00:01:03,400

We have some fun things that we are putting out daily.

14

00:01:03,400 –> 00:01:11,000

We are on all of the fun networks, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.

15

00:01:11,000 –> 00:01:17,520

We’ve also added some new recipes to our website recently if you head over to HealthyFamilyProject.com.

16

00:01:17,520 –> 00:01:20,920

Those are sure to be a crowd teaser for your family.

17

00:01:20,920 –> 00:01:28,840

We’ve tested those here in my kitchen and so I feel confident in saying that you should

18

00:01:28,840 –> 00:01:30,320

definitely check those out.

19

00:01:30,320 –> 00:01:35,120

All right, so you know I like to shed light on topics or thoughts that might not be common

20

00:01:35,120 –> 00:01:38,920

knowledge and might even present, you know, maybe a light bulb moment.

21

00:01:38,920 –> 00:01:40,920

We can learn something new.

22

00:01:40,920 –> 00:01:44,200

It’s always great to learn something new.

23

00:01:44,200 –> 00:01:49,640

So for me personally, when I’m shopping, I’ve noticed the Fair Trade labels.

24

00:01:49,640 –> 00:01:52,800

I imagine many of you out there have as well.

25

00:01:52,800 –> 00:01:57,800

But I’ve honestly always wondered what, you know, the term actually meant.

26

00:01:57,800 –> 00:02:00,440

I knew, you know, it means something good.

27

00:02:00,440 –> 00:02:02,720

Something good is happening.

28

00:02:02,720 –> 00:02:07,280

But I didn’t know, you know, there’s so many labels in the grocery store and it’s hard

29

00:02:07,280 –> 00:02:11,480

not to think, hmm, okay, are they really doing the right thing?

30

00:02:11,480 –> 00:02:12,880

Or like, what does this mean?

31

00:02:12,880 –> 00:02:16,360

Or is this impacting or how it’s impacting?

32

00:02:16,360 –> 00:02:18,520

You know, does my purchase make a difference?

33

00:02:18,520 –> 00:02:25,840

So when I met Kim Chakal last year, virtually, I instantly saw her passion for Fair Trade

34

00:02:25,840 –> 00:02:31,360

and thought, yep, that’s the person who can come onto the podcast and explain Fair Trade

35

00:02:31,360 –> 00:02:37,280

to us so we can finally understand and be able to make our purchase decisions with this

36

00:02:37,280 –> 00:02:38,280

in mind.

37

00:02:38,280 –> 00:02:41,880

Kim is the director of sales and marketing at Equifruit.

38

00:02:41,880 –> 00:02:46,840

And over the past seven years, she has established Equifruit as the Canadian market leader for

39

00:02:46,840 –> 00:02:49,080

Fair Trade bananas.

40

00:02:49,080 –> 00:02:52,880

And her sights are set on global Fair Trade domination.

41

00:02:52,880 –> 00:02:57,160

Her fearless and bold approach is making waves in the produce industry.

42

00:02:57,160 –> 00:03:01,920

And in 2021, Kim was recognized as produce person of the year by the Ontario Produce

43

00:03:01,920 –> 00:03:03,880

Marketing Association.

44

00:03:03,880 –> 00:03:08,480

With 20 years of sales experience, she loves challenging people to rethink their consumption

45

00:03:08,480 –> 00:03:14,160

habits and consider Fair Trade as a sustainable solution in produce.

46

00:03:14,160 –> 00:03:17,800

And without further ado, let’s talk to Kim.

47

00:03:17,800 –> 00:03:20,480

Welcome to the Healthy Family Project podcast, Kim.

48

00:03:20,480 –> 00:03:26,300

I’ve been admiring you and your passion for your company from afar for a while now.

49

00:03:26,300 –> 00:03:29,880

And I’m so excited you had the time to talk to me today.

50

00:03:29,880 –> 00:03:34,200

So before we jump in, why don’t you tell our guests a little bit about you?

51

00:03:34,200 –> 00:03:35,200

Great.

52

00:03:35,200 –> 00:03:36,720

Thank you for having me.

53

00:03:36,720 –> 00:03:40,760

It’s always exciting when somebody discovers your work and is interested in what you do.

54

00:03:40,760 –> 00:03:42,720

So I appreciate it.

55

00:03:42,720 –> 00:03:43,720

So my name is Kim.

56

00:03:43,720 –> 00:03:46,880

I’m the director of sales and marketing for Equifruit.

57

00:03:46,880 –> 00:03:52,440

And Equifruit is a banana brand, very different from all the banana brands in the world.

58

00:03:52,440 –> 00:03:56,740

We’re really trying to disrupt things and get people excited about Fair Trade.

59

00:03:56,740 –> 00:03:58,520

So we’ll dive into that, I’m sure.

60

00:03:58,520 –> 00:04:00,440

But that’s essentially a bit about who I am.

61

00:04:00,440 –> 00:04:06,680

I’m based up in Montreal, got three young kids and trying to change the whole banana

62

00:04:06,680 –> 00:04:07,680

industry.

63

00:04:07,680 –> 00:04:10,200

So a lot on my plate, but very excited to be here.

64

00:04:10,200 –> 00:04:16,360

Yeah, so I’ve been following along with you on LinkedIn for several months now.

65

00:04:16,360 –> 00:04:22,440

And as we were talking before we got started, it’s just when you see someone’s passion shining

66

00:04:22,440 –> 00:04:25,880

through and what they’re saying and believing in their work.

67

00:04:25,880 –> 00:04:31,720

I know here at Healthy Family Project, that’s something that I live day to day, you know,

68

00:04:31,720 –> 00:04:37,440

is our giving back efforts and trying to make an impact and healthier in the next generation

69

00:04:37,440 –> 00:04:39,400

of healthy eaters.

70

00:04:39,400 –> 00:04:46,300

So I can sense that energy and wanted to bring you on and educate us a little bit about Fair

71

00:04:46,300 –> 00:04:47,300

Trade.

72

00:04:47,300 –> 00:04:48,400

So, all right.

73

00:04:48,400 –> 00:04:55,880

So I think when I first started following your company on LinkedIn, I thought, well,

74

00:04:55,880 –> 00:04:59,480

of course I know what Fair Trade means.

75

00:04:59,480 –> 00:05:06,580

And then I started thinking a little more and I thought, well, maybe I don’t completely

76

00:05:06,580 –> 00:05:11,760

and maybe my listeners, you know, this is something they might see on a label or they

77

00:05:11,760 –> 00:05:17,480

might see as they’re in the grocery store, but might not fully understand what is Fair

78

00:05:17,480 –> 00:05:18,480

Trade.

79

00:05:18,480 –> 00:05:23,840

So if you could go very basic with us and educate us on like the definition and kind

80

00:05:23,840 –> 00:05:26,480

of help us understand what we’re looking at.

81

00:05:26,480 –> 00:05:28,000

Yeah, I think it’s great.

82

00:05:28,000 –> 00:05:35,360

I think that most of your listeners are probably feeling an enormous amount of relief because

83

00:05:35,360 –> 00:05:37,520

we have a lot of labels at the grocery store.

84

00:05:37,520 –> 00:05:38,520

Oh, my goodness.

85

00:05:38,520 –> 00:05:44,640

A lot of label confusion and we don’t really have time to do a deep dive on what everything

86

00:05:44,640 –> 00:05:45,640

means.

87

00:05:45,640 –> 00:05:50,960

So for those that have heard the term Fair Trade, like when we’re talking about Fair

88

00:05:50,960 –> 00:05:56,720

Trade in broad terms, Fair Trade in two words, we’re really talking about fairness within

89

00:05:56,720 –> 00:06:02,080

the marketplace, making sure that there are both advantages for the buyer and the seller,

90

00:06:02,080 –> 00:06:07,540

that there’s an equal distribution of value along the supply chain.

91

00:06:07,540 –> 00:06:13,680

So some companies will speak about how they’re fairly traded or that they have a fair or

92

00:06:13,680 –> 00:06:19,600

direct relationship with their farmers, but they might not go out and get certification.

93

00:06:19,600 –> 00:06:26,040

When you’re buying an Equifruit banana, we have chosen the certification called, and

94

00:06:26,040 –> 00:06:28,200

it’s just about to get more confusing for you.

95

00:06:28,200 –> 00:06:29,800

Oh, no.

96

00:06:29,800 –> 00:06:32,840

It’s called Fair Trade in one word.

97

00:06:32,840 –> 00:06:38,720

So I’m sure that the best example to share with your listeners is Ben and Jerry’s ice

98

00:06:38,720 –> 00:06:39,720

cream.

99

00:06:39,720 –> 00:06:43,860

Next time you pick up your pint of Ben and Jerry’s, look for the Fair Trade mark.

100

00:06:43,860 –> 00:06:45,480

It’s Fair Trade in one word.

101

00:06:45,480 –> 00:06:52,740

And that’s really the most trusted and recognized Fair Trade label internationally, which means

102

00:06:52,740 –> 00:06:54,860

that there are other labels.

103

00:06:54,860 –> 00:07:00,680

So the reason that we choose Fair Trade in one word for our bananas is really because

104

00:07:00,680 –> 00:07:03,280

it’s the best deal for farmers.

105

00:07:03,280 –> 00:07:10,940

We want to change the banana industry because really briefly, banana farmers are not paid

106

00:07:10,940 –> 00:07:11,940

well enough.

107

00:07:11,940 –> 00:07:16,240

And we can see that reflected in the prices at the grocery store.

108

00:07:16,240 –> 00:07:22,460

If we see our local apples are $2 or $3 a pound, but then this banana that came from

109

00:07:22,460 –> 00:07:27,740

thousands of miles away and had to be professionally ripened and is extremely delicate is being

110

00:07:27,740 –> 00:07:30,960

sold for 59 cents or 30.

111

00:07:30,960 –> 00:07:33,960

I saw a special the other day for 29 cents a pound, Canadian.

112

00:07:33,960 –> 00:07:36,520

They’re giving them away for free.

113

00:07:36,520 –> 00:07:39,160

We’re really just trying to correct that.

114

00:07:39,160 –> 00:07:44,300

So basically, when you see the Fair Trade label, so I’m just going to speak about Fair

115

00:07:44,300 –> 00:07:45,300

Trade in one word.

116

00:07:45,300 –> 00:07:49,040

So the same thing on Equifruit bananas or Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

117

00:07:49,040 –> 00:07:50,040

What does that mean?

118

00:07:50,040 –> 00:07:57,600

It means that we have to respect the framework for pricing and standards that have been set

119

00:07:57,600 –> 00:07:59,920

by Fair Trade International.

120

00:07:59,920 –> 00:08:03,440

So Fair Trade International has offices all around the world.

121

00:08:03,440 –> 00:08:11,040

They work mostly with producers in the global south because that’s really where there’s

122

00:08:11,040 –> 00:08:13,800

the greatest need to alleviate poverty.

123

00:08:13,800 –> 00:08:20,200

So generally, they started about 30 years ago working with producers, like small producers,

124

00:08:20,200 –> 00:08:26,800

and just giving them a chance to get into the export market by pricing their products

125

00:08:26,800 –> 00:08:31,040

fairly and making sure that they work within safe and equitable conditions.

126

00:08:31,040 –> 00:08:36,120

So like really basic stuff that I think that most of your listeners would be happy about,

127

00:08:36,120 –> 00:08:42,600

no forced child labor, gender equity, all of these things that we would take for granted

128

00:08:42,600 –> 00:08:48,480

and we just assume are the norm in North America are really not the norm internationally.

129

00:08:48,480 –> 00:08:53,920

And so it’s really just this third party that’s coming in to make sure that there are rules

130

00:08:53,920 –> 00:08:59,560

in place, that things are done fairly so that you can feel good about where your food came

131

00:08:59,560 –> 00:09:00,560

from.

132

00:09:00,560 –> 00:09:08,280

So they have actually set minimum prices based on the commodity and country around the world.

133

00:09:08,280 –> 00:09:16,800

So whether you’re buying cocoa from the Ivory Coast or bananas from Ecuador or cotton from

134

00:09:16,800 –> 00:09:23,560

India, there are these minimum prices that have to be respected as an importer.

135

00:09:23,560 –> 00:09:28,000

And the farmers have to respect a number of these work standards.

136

00:09:28,000 –> 00:09:33,420

Under fair trade, one word, they also really want to try to boost local communities.

137

00:09:33,420 –> 00:09:37,440

So we also have to pay something called a social premium.

138

00:09:37,440 –> 00:09:42,120

So in the case of bananas, you can see these 40 pound cases behind me.

139

00:09:42,120 –> 00:09:48,320

For every case of bananas that we buy from our farmers, we also have to pay one US dollar

140

00:09:48,320 –> 00:09:49,560

per case.

141

00:09:49,560 –> 00:09:52,740

And this money is called fair trade social premium.

142

00:09:52,740 –> 00:09:54,520

It’s managed separately.

143

00:09:54,520 –> 00:10:00,080

The farmers decide entirely democratically how to use this money, but it has to fall

144

00:10:00,080 –> 00:10:05,240

within projects that have environmental, economic or social impact.

145

00:10:05,240 –> 00:10:07,400

So they decide how to use that money.

146

00:10:07,400 –> 00:10:14,320

It’s all audited and verified by a third party called flow cert, just to make sure that everybody’s

147

00:10:14,320 –> 00:10:15,420

playing by the rules.

148

00:10:15,420 –> 00:10:22,440

So if I’m not paying the right price as an importer or if there’s child labour or whatever

149

00:10:22,440 –> 00:10:25,260

rules are broken, they can get decertified.

150

00:10:25,260 –> 00:10:31,280

So as a consumer, when you see this fair trade label on a product, you know that the farmer

151

00:10:31,280 –> 00:10:36,320

has been paid well, that they’re working under safe conditions, and that these standards

152

00:10:36,320 –> 00:10:38,520

are in place and are being verified.

153

00:10:38,520 –> 00:10:47,320

Okay, I feel like that that breaks it down for us.

154

00:10:47,320 –> 00:10:51,600

I hate to, you know, I feel like it’s a it’s a no brainer, right?

155

00:10:51,600 –> 00:10:54,000

This sounds like yes, we look for the label.

156

00:10:54,000 –> 00:10:56,240

And that’s what we make.

157

00:10:56,240 –> 00:11:02,240

Make the purchase, but I guess maybe put your consumer hat on for a second.

158

00:11:02,240 –> 00:11:05,360

And today’s climate with crazy grocery costs.

159

00:11:05,360 –> 00:11:10,560

You know, I don’t think that 10 cents more on the cost of a banana is going to make or

160

00:11:10,560 –> 00:11:12,480

break, but maybe there’s some other products.

161

00:11:12,480 –> 00:11:19,520

So how would you how would you I guess, make that decision in the grocery store when we’re

162

00:11:19,520 –> 00:11:24,960

all strapped for, you know, cash these days to say like, what do I do?

163

00:11:24,960 –> 00:11:26,560

Like I need to make this purchase.

164

00:11:26,560 –> 00:11:28,200

Yeah, for sure.

165

00:11:28,200 –> 00:11:36,960

So I mean, I think the most popular fair trade products are probably coffee, tea, chocolate,

166

00:11:36,960 –> 00:11:42,040

bananas, you know, and then you can go into maybe less familiar products like cotton,

167

00:11:42,040 –> 00:11:47,000

wine, you know, you can even buy fair trade jewelry like diamonds or gold.

168

00:11:47,000 –> 00:11:48,000

Okay.

169

00:11:48,000 –> 00:11:52,440

But really in the grocery store, coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar and bananas are really your

170

00:11:52,440 –> 00:11:55,860

five top commodities to look for.

171

00:11:55,860 –> 00:11:59,080

It’s going to be hard to find a fair trade banana in the US.

172

00:11:59,080 –> 00:12:00,640

You won’t find any Equifruit yet.

173

00:12:00,640 –> 00:12:02,400

We’re working on getting into the US.

174

00:12:02,400 –> 00:12:04,280

We just sell into Canada right now.

175

00:12:04,280 –> 00:12:09,040

But I hope within the next year, you’re going to find our product in the US.

176

00:12:09,040 –> 00:12:13,360

Yeah, those are really the key ones to look for.

177

00:12:13,360 –> 00:12:18,120

And I mean, when it comes down to like our wallets, right, and making the decisions for

178

00:12:18,120 –> 00:12:23,280

our families, I think that we just have to have a bit of a shift in mindset on those

179

00:12:23,280 –> 00:12:30,320

five categories, because at the end of the day, the farmers are just subject to exploitative

180

00:12:30,320 –> 00:12:36,320

conditions and they’re really stuck in a cycle of poverty.

181

00:12:36,320 –> 00:12:40,680

Because the market prices don’t reflect the cost of sustainable production.

182

00:12:40,680 –> 00:12:46,200

But when you’re buying on fair trade terms, it reflects the cost of sustainable production.

183

00:12:46,200 –> 00:12:48,400

So what does that even mean?

184

00:12:48,400 –> 00:12:55,880

Like if I’m buying bananas from a non fair trade farm, from week to week, the price just

185

00:12:55,880 –> 00:12:57,040

goes with the market.

186

00:12:57,040 –> 00:13:02,600

Like, hey, there’s, you know, even though we harvest bananas year round, there might

187

00:13:02,600 –> 00:13:05,880

be certain times in the year where there’s a little bit more product in the market, which

188

00:13:05,880 –> 00:13:09,400

can drive the price down, and we just have to get rid of product.

189

00:13:09,400 –> 00:13:15,000

So farmers can really sometimes be in a position where they have to sell their product at a

190

00:13:15,000 –> 00:13:17,680

loss, but it’s either that or nothing.

191

00:13:17,680 –> 00:13:23,040

So fair trade really offers that safety net for farmers so that they have this stable

192

00:13:23,040 –> 00:13:24,960

income throughout the year.

193

00:13:24,960 –> 00:13:29,880

They have one year long contracts with an importer, like an Equifruit, who says, we

194

00:13:29,880 –> 00:13:34,660

promise to purchase at least this many loads of bananas a week for the whole year.

195

00:13:34,660 –> 00:13:39,800

So they can take those those promise to purchase and go to a bank and they can, you know, for

196

00:13:39,800 –> 00:13:43,680

any small business owners that are listening, they understand that, like, you can now actually

197

00:13:43,680 –> 00:13:48,040

map out your life, you can make investments, you can borrow money.

198

00:13:48,040 –> 00:13:53,580

So we work with both plantations and small farmers.

199

00:13:53,580 –> 00:14:00,400

So in either case, they just have that economic power to go out and build out their own lives

200

00:14:00,400 –> 00:14:02,280

and contribute to their community.

201

00:14:02,280 –> 00:14:10,760

So yeah, it’s going to be probably a little bit more expensive to buy a fair trade product,

202

00:14:10,760 –> 00:14:15,480

but you just have to kind of erase those those prices that you were used to.

203

00:14:15,480 –> 00:14:19,640

Like 59 cent pound bananas are just not realistic.

204

00:14:19,640 –> 00:14:24,920

Bananas should be at least at least a dollar a pound, minimum a dollar a pound.

205

00:14:24,920 –> 00:14:27,440

And the fair trade price is really not even that much more expensive.

206

00:14:27,440 –> 00:14:28,440

Right.

207

00:14:28,440 –> 00:14:29,440

That’s what I’m thinking.

208

00:14:29,440 –> 00:14:31,800

We already paid practically nothing for it.

209

00:14:31,800 –> 00:14:37,580

It’s like one large Starbucks coffee is what it’s going to cost you for the entire year

210

00:14:37,580 –> 00:14:40,600

to switch one person over to fair trade bananas.

211

00:14:40,600 –> 00:14:41,600

We’re really talking pennies.

212

00:14:41,600 –> 00:14:42,600

Yeah.

213

00:14:42,600 –> 00:14:47,480

And I’ll even say like my kids when they’re in the grocery store with me, especially now,

214

00:14:47,480 –> 00:14:53,240

because I really like to make my children aware of the cost of things because sometimes

215

00:14:53,240 –> 00:14:59,320

I think that can get lost and then, you know, you know what happens after that.

216

00:14:59,320 –> 00:15:03,760

So when we’re checking out at the grocery store, they’ll sometimes say, well, why, you

217

00:15:03,760 –> 00:15:08,380

know, why did that produce item cost this and you got, you know, they’ve actually called

218

00:15:08,380 –> 00:15:13,120

out the bananas before saying like, explain this to us.

219

00:15:13,120 –> 00:15:14,120

Like why?

220

00:15:14,120 –> 00:15:15,120

Oh, the low prices.

221

00:15:15,120 –> 00:15:16,120

Yeah.

222

00:15:16,120 –> 00:15:17,120

Like, yeah.

223

00:15:17,120 –> 00:15:22,040

Like why does this, you know, whatever it might be, you know, things fluctuate in season

224

00:15:22,040 –> 00:15:27,280

out of season or availability, I guess here where I am in Florida.

225

00:15:27,280 –> 00:15:31,800

But they’re like, the bananas are always so cheap, you know.

226

00:15:31,800 –> 00:15:35,560

So I just thought that was interesting that that they made that call out.

227

00:15:35,560 –> 00:15:40,520

And I was going to say, when you talk about cost, because our last podcast that we recorded

228

00:15:40,520 –> 00:15:44,600

was all about saving cost saving in the grocery store and how to reframe.

229

00:15:44,600 –> 00:15:45,600

Yeah.

230

00:15:45,600 –> 00:15:48,880

How you plan, how you make your list, how you shop.

231

00:15:48,880 –> 00:15:56,760

And so I think this is the perfect next step because I was saying to someone yesterday,

232

00:15:56,760 –> 00:16:03,860

I feel like now that I am really taking a close look at my grocery spend because of

233

00:16:03,860 –> 00:16:06,800

the cost of everything right now for us.

234

00:16:06,800 –> 00:16:07,800

Yeah.

235

00:16:07,800 –> 00:16:12,120

I’m taking a closer look and I’m realizing that I was over buying and there were things

236

00:16:12,120 –> 00:16:18,680

that we didn’t need, you know, things that like I say, shop your pantry.

237

00:16:18,680 –> 00:16:22,040

There are things in my pantry that have been there forever.

238

00:16:22,040 –> 00:16:27,880

You know, well, no one’s getting, you know, sick forever.

239

00:16:27,880 –> 00:16:32,640

And so, and even the refrigerator being so smashed full where no one can even see what’s

240

00:16:32,640 –> 00:16:35,620

in there and then whatever’s in the back goes bad, you know.

241

00:16:35,620 –> 00:16:41,400

So I think that there are ways if you are listening and you’re looking to say, you know

242

00:16:41,400 –> 00:16:42,760

what, this is something I want to do.

243

00:16:42,760 –> 00:16:44,920

I want to make sure I’m buying fair trade.

244

00:16:44,920 –> 00:16:48,760

I think that it’s not doesn’t necessarily have to be an added cost to you.

245

00:16:48,760 –> 00:16:55,440

I think there you can reframe, like you said, and reshape how you’re shopping to be able

246

00:16:55,440 –> 00:17:01,680

to make those purchases and to know that, you know, you’re making an impact with your

247

00:17:01,680 –> 00:17:05,120

purchase like you are making real change that we need.

248

00:17:05,120 –> 00:17:06,360

Yeah, you really are.

249

00:17:06,360 –> 00:17:11,000

You know, and I think that I think that probably I think bananas are so important.

250

00:17:11,000 –> 00:17:13,560

Like this is a real global crisis.

251

00:17:13,560 –> 00:17:16,920

It’s one of the largest agricultural commodities in the world.

252

00:17:16,920 –> 00:17:21,960

And I know that the big banana companies are keeping an eye on this little tiny badass

253

00:17:21,960 –> 00:17:24,600

banana brand, Equifruit, that’s trying to change things up.

254

00:17:24,600 –> 00:17:28,920

And we’re really ruffling everybody’s feathers because we’re calling out this issue.

255

00:17:28,920 –> 00:17:34,360

You know, the large banana companies, they started their businesses in the late 1800s

256

00:17:34,360 –> 00:17:39,320

with the goal to make bananas more popular and less expensive than our local apples and

257

00:17:39,320 –> 00:17:40,320

oranges.

258

00:17:40,320 –> 00:17:41,320

And they’ve succeeded.

259

00:17:41,320 –> 00:17:44,160

They’re the grocery store and they’re crushing it.

260

00:17:44,160 –> 00:17:49,240

But they’re sometimes selling bananas at a loss to the grocery stores because they’ll

261

00:17:49,240 –> 00:17:51,840

make it up in other value added categories.

262

00:17:51,840 –> 00:17:55,440

Like they’ll sell canned goods or chopped salads.

263

00:17:55,440 –> 00:17:59,960

They’ll start to see those big brands on other products in the store.

264

00:17:59,960 –> 00:18:02,200

They’re just not making money on bananas.

265

00:18:02,200 –> 00:18:06,960

And you know, I have I have acquaintances in the industry that work for some of the

266

00:18:06,960 –> 00:18:09,880

big banana companies and they see what we’re doing.

267

00:18:09,880 –> 00:18:13,760

And they’re like, you know what, it’s about time that somebody just rolls up their sleeve

268

00:18:13,760 –> 00:18:17,600

and fixes this problem because consumers are none the wiser.

269

00:18:17,600 –> 00:18:24,440

And I think that retailers are also participating in this because they really just use bananas

270

00:18:24,440 –> 00:18:25,440

as a loss leader.

271

00:18:25,440 –> 00:18:29,800

So, you know, like the next time that your kids ask you why are bananas so cheap when

272

00:18:29,800 –> 00:18:32,440

our local apples are like four times the price.

273

00:18:32,440 –> 00:18:36,200

Well, because because it’s a it’s a marketing strategy.

274

00:18:36,200 –> 00:18:40,920

You know, you come in, you feel good about the 59 cent bananas and then you’ll spend

275

00:18:40,920 –> 00:18:47,560

maybe eight dollars on a sliced mango or like or on whatever else in the store that has,

276

00:18:47,560 –> 00:18:51,400

you know, like a pre-made dinner kit that you could have made yourself, but you’re willing

277

00:18:51,400 –> 00:18:53,120

to pay that extra two dollars.

278

00:18:53,120 –> 00:18:56,760

So they’re making up that margin and other categories.

279

00:18:56,760 –> 00:19:01,280

But it’s just it’s really it’s really amazing to see now that we’re really dealing with

280

00:19:01,280 –> 00:19:06,280

this inflation and you’re seeing the cost of other categories go up.

281

00:19:06,280 –> 00:19:07,760

But go and look at your banana prices.

282

00:19:07,760 –> 00:19:09,640

They probably haven’t even budged.

283

00:19:09,640 –> 00:19:12,400

So there’s even this like greater fear.

284

00:19:12,400 –> 00:19:16,240

Retailers think that if they raise the price on bananas because they’re all paying way

285

00:19:16,240 –> 00:19:21,320

more for bananas these days, like our costs as an importer have gone up like crazy and

286

00:19:21,320 –> 00:19:26,640

so have everybody else’s, but the cost of fuel, the cost of transport, they’re probably

287

00:19:26,640 –> 00:19:29,360

losing more money on bananas than they ever have.

288

00:19:29,360 –> 00:19:34,920

But it’s because they’re afraid that if they raise that price by 10, 20, 30 cents a pound,

289

00:19:34,920 –> 00:19:38,360

that you’re going to flee into the arms of the competition.

290

00:19:38,360 –> 00:19:41,120

So it’s it’s really, really, really nuts.

291

00:19:41,120 –> 00:19:46,520

And, you know, another category like in case I haven’t convinced you on bananas yet, you

292

00:19:46,520 –> 00:19:50,640

know, one of the one of the categories that’s so near and dear to my heart because I’m such

293

00:19:50,640 –> 00:19:54,240

a chocolate addict is fair trade chocolate.

294

00:19:54,240 –> 00:19:57,000

And there are some great documentaries out there.

295

00:19:57,000 –> 00:20:04,720

If you just look into the cocoa industry, like cocoa is often cocoa is really bad for

296

00:20:04,720 –> 00:20:06,240

forced child labor.

297

00:20:06,240 –> 00:20:11,360

So if you look in Africa, young children are being promised jobs.

298

00:20:11,360 –> 00:20:14,520

And so they they’ll leave their families for these temporary jobs.

299

00:20:14,520 –> 00:20:19,880

And then they’re literally enslaved into cocoa plantations because their small hands can

300

00:20:19,880 –> 00:20:24,680

hold a cocoa pod and work a machete without chopping their fingers off.

301

00:20:24,680 –> 00:20:29,400

Like when I hear stuff like that and then I look at the grocery store and I see a ninety

302

00:20:29,400 –> 00:20:34,600

nine cent chocolate bar versus a two ninety nine fair trade chocolate bar, like I can’t

303

00:20:34,600 –> 00:20:36,720

unsee that image in my mind.

304

00:20:36,720 –> 00:20:37,720

Yeah.

305

00:20:37,720 –> 00:20:41,760

So so when I talk about a mind shift, you know, on bananas or on coffee, you see that

306

00:20:41,760 –> 00:20:43,000

extra two dollars a pound.

307

00:20:43,000 –> 00:20:45,640

And sure, there’s the rush of like saving that two bucks.

308

00:20:45,640 –> 00:20:50,560

But when you think about the impact that it has at the farm level for the community and

309

00:20:50,560 –> 00:20:53,600

the farmers, it’s just enormous.

310

00:20:53,600 –> 00:20:57,760

And I know that it’s not affordable maybe for everybody.

311

00:20:57,760 –> 00:21:03,440

But as you said, chop your pantry, shift around that two dollars elsewhere and maybe just

312

00:21:03,440 –> 00:21:10,760

drink a little bit less coffee or try to try to eat a little bit less chocolate if you

313

00:21:10,760 –> 00:21:11,760

can.

314

00:21:11,760 –> 00:21:15,760

And thankfully, there are so many companies that are moving in that direction, like trade

315

00:21:15,760 –> 00:21:17,360

coffee is just becoming the norm.

316

00:21:17,360 –> 00:21:18,360

Right.

317

00:21:18,360 –> 00:21:21,320

And the more that people buy, the more the costs can come down a bit.

318

00:21:21,320 –> 00:21:25,720

But but just know that when you see that symbol, it’s actually reflecting the cost of sustainable

319

00:21:25,720 –> 00:21:26,720

production.

320

00:21:26,720 –> 00:21:34,120

Do you foresee any other commodities coming into the fair trade or does it really only

321

00:21:34,120 –> 00:21:35,920

make sense for those that you mentioned?

322

00:21:35,920 –> 00:21:42,080

Or do you feel like this could be overall with much of what we buy?

323

00:21:42,080 –> 00:21:43,080

Yeah.

324

00:21:43,080 –> 00:21:47,960

Well, you know, this is where it gets a little bit tricky because Fair Trade, in one word,

325

00:21:47,960 –> 00:21:53,240

the organization that we work with, they only certify farmers in the global south.

326

00:21:53,240 –> 00:21:54,240

OK.

327

00:21:54,240 –> 00:21:59,240

So because you’re based in the US, you’re going to see other labels like Fair Trade

328

00:21:59,240 –> 00:22:03,840

USA, for example, which they broke out of the Fair Trade International system in 2011.

329

00:22:03,840 –> 00:22:04,840

Oh, interesting.

330

00:22:04,840 –> 00:22:09,320

OK, so that they can they wanted to work with larger multinationals.

331

00:22:09,320 –> 00:22:12,600

Whereas the focus of Fair Trade International is really smallholder farms.

332

00:22:12,600 –> 00:22:13,600

OK.

333

00:22:13,600 –> 00:22:17,520

They wanted to give the opportunity to multinationals to certify.

334

00:22:17,520 –> 00:22:20,800

And then they also open up a market for domestic fair trade.

335

00:22:20,800 –> 00:22:25,200

So there’s a lot of debate around whether there is a need for domestic fair trade.

336

00:22:25,200 –> 00:22:28,480

Like, of course, in the states, you do have hired labor.

337

00:22:28,480 –> 00:22:34,600

All agriculture has hired labor and an opportunity to put in to respect different standards around

338

00:22:34,600 –> 00:22:35,600

it.

339

00:22:35,600 –> 00:22:37,080

But government already regulates those standards.

340

00:22:37,080 –> 00:22:42,360

So if if I just take off my my Equifruit hat and I’m answering as a consumer based on the

341

00:22:42,360 –> 00:22:49,120

research that I’ve done, I think that it’s really important to focus on the categories

342

00:22:49,120 –> 00:22:54,760

that Fair Trade International or in the states, Fair Trade America, you could go down to Fair

343

00:22:54,760 –> 00:23:00,240

Trade America dot org’s website to understand what are the most pressing needs for fair

344

00:23:00,240 –> 00:23:01,240

trade.

345

00:23:01,240 –> 00:23:05,660

And I’m less familiar with like, what are the real benefits of buying like a local fair

346

00:23:05,660 –> 00:23:09,280

trade USA pepper or tomato or something?

347

00:23:09,280 –> 00:23:12,800

I think there’s still a huge need in the global south.

348

00:23:12,800 –> 00:23:14,500

That’s really where our focus is.

349

00:23:14,500 –> 00:23:19,360

We’re hoping to get into other categories like pineapple and avocado and other tropical

350

00:23:19,360 –> 00:23:20,360

fruits.

351

00:23:20,360 –> 00:23:21,360

OK.

352

00:23:21,360 –> 00:23:22,360

Yeah, that was I was going to ask.

353

00:23:22,360 –> 00:23:23,360

I guess you’ve already covered.

354

00:23:23,360 –> 00:23:25,920

I was going to say if someone wanted to look for Equifruit.

355

00:23:25,920 –> 00:23:29,040

So if you’re we have listeners all over the world.

356

00:23:29,040 –> 00:23:32,240

So I mean, you can I’m in the US.

357

00:23:32,240 –> 00:23:35,800

So like you said, I probably won’t be seeing it, but hopefully soon.

358

00:23:35,800 –> 00:23:36,800

Yeah, hopefully soon.

359

00:23:36,800 –> 00:23:39,320

I mean, we do work with large retailers in Canada.

360

00:23:39,320 –> 00:23:43,920

We work with Sobe’s, which is the second largest retailer in Canada.

361

00:23:43,920 –> 00:23:45,400

We also work with Costco.

362

00:23:45,400 –> 00:23:47,640

Costco in Ontario carries our product.

363

00:23:47,640 –> 00:23:49,200

They’re really excited about it.

364

00:23:49,200 –> 00:23:53,160

We’re talking about growth there.

365

00:23:53,160 –> 00:23:56,760

And then we have regional players like Longos, for example.

366

00:23:56,760 –> 00:24:00,320

Longos is a chain in Ontario.

367

00:24:00,320 –> 00:24:06,400

They actually are just about to celebrate one year of being of having 100 percent Equifruit

368

00:24:06,400 –> 00:24:07,400

program.

369

00:24:07,400 –> 00:24:11,840

So last May, they were the first retailer in all of North America to make a switch of

370

00:24:11,840 –> 00:24:15,200

their conventional bananas, because we often think of fair trade with organic.

371

00:24:15,200 –> 00:24:16,200

Right.

372

00:24:16,200 –> 00:24:19,960

You know, there are two separate things, but often they’re lumped together like organic

373

00:24:19,960 –> 00:24:22,200

products tend to go out and get fair trade certification.

374

00:24:22,200 –> 00:24:28,680

But you can have a conventional, just a regular banana that’s also fair trade certified.

375

00:24:28,680 –> 00:24:33,800

And so they are the one retail partner that has only Equifruit bananas.

376

00:24:33,800 –> 00:24:39,880

So whether you’re buying them in their stores or online, which is a huge impact for conventional

377

00:24:39,880 –> 00:24:43,840

farmers need fair trade more than anything, because there’s a growing need for organic

378

00:24:43,840 –> 00:24:48,200

and it puts that much more downward pressure on the conventional farmers.

379

00:24:48,200 –> 00:24:53,520

All right, so and I imagine I’ve spent some time on your website and we’ll link up to

380

00:24:53,520 –> 00:24:55,720

the website in our show notes, too.

381

00:24:55,720 –> 00:24:59,440

But you can if you’re listening and you want to find out more information on where you

382

00:24:59,440 –> 00:25:02,400

can can find and support.

383

00:25:02,400 –> 00:25:08,080

I know we do have it’s always interesting to look at where our listeners are.

384

00:25:08,080 –> 00:25:11,840

And we do have I think Canada is our second, you know, highest audience.

385

00:25:11,840 –> 00:25:13,840

So all right.

386

00:25:13,840 –> 00:25:16,520

Yeah, they’re out there.

387

00:25:16,520 –> 00:25:22,000

Thank you so much for joining me today and kind of talking us through fair trade.

388

00:25:22,000 –> 00:25:25,800

And we’re going to link up in the show notes to some things.

389

00:25:25,800 –> 00:25:30,960

And then I heard you’re a you’re a first time guest.

390

00:25:30,960 –> 00:25:36,360

So I get to ask you the question that I ask all of our first time guests.

391

00:25:36,360 –> 00:25:38,280

And that is there’s no right or wrong answer.

392

00:25:38,280 –> 00:25:39,400

It’s just for fun.

393

00:25:39,400 –> 00:25:45,840

What do you think being a healthy family means?

394

00:25:45,840 –> 00:25:53,760

I think being a healthy family means understanding what being a healthy family means and that

395

00:25:53,760 –> 00:25:59,960

the knowledge doesn’t just come from one mother dictator or father dictator who’s like this

396

00:25:59,960 –> 00:26:02,440

eat your broccoli and that’s just the way that it is.

397

00:26:02,440 –> 00:26:04,640

I think that knowledge is power.

398

00:26:04,640 –> 00:26:11,240

And I like to I like to teach my kids what what does broccoli do to your body?

399

00:26:11,240 –> 00:26:13,880

You know, or what do bananas do to your body?

400

00:26:13,880 –> 00:26:15,880

Or what does candy do to your body?

401

00:26:15,880 –> 00:26:17,440

Like how does your body function?

402

00:26:17,440 –> 00:26:20,720

You know, why is sleep important?

403

00:26:20,720 –> 00:26:24,560

I think that if you give them that information, it empowers them to go out and make the right

404

00:26:24,560 –> 00:26:29,880

choices rather than just feeling confined to abide by by your rules.

405

00:26:29,880 –> 00:26:30,880

Right.

406

00:26:30,880 –> 00:26:31,880

I love that.

407

00:26:31,880 –> 00:26:36,360

I know I feel like we I hope we’re moving away from the days where it’s like eat your

408

00:26:36,360 –> 00:26:37,360

broccoli.

409

00:26:37,360 –> 00:26:38,360

Why?

410

00:26:38,360 –> 00:26:39,360

Because I said so.

411

00:26:39,360 –> 00:26:40,360

Go to bed at this time.

412

00:26:40,360 –> 00:26:41,360

Why?

413

00:26:41,360 –> 00:26:42,360

Because I said so.

414

00:26:42,360 –> 00:26:48,200

Yeah, but that’s a really great point, because I think that that does empower the next generation

415

00:26:48,200 –> 00:26:54,640

to be able to say, I do this because of for myself, not because someone told me.

416

00:26:54,640 –> 00:26:55,640

So, yeah.

417

00:26:55,640 –> 00:26:59,640

Well, I just I love the point you made earlier about your kids even noticing the price of

418

00:26:59,640 –> 00:27:00,640

bananas.

419

00:27:00,640 –> 00:27:06,040

You know, it just speaks to the fact that young younger people, like they are making

420

00:27:06,040 –> 00:27:09,400

observations in the world just the way that we did when we were younger.

421

00:27:09,400 –> 00:27:13,280

Like at a certain point, we just have to make sense of the world on our own.

422

00:27:13,280 –> 00:27:16,160

And that starts at a very young age.

423

00:27:16,160 –> 00:27:21,360

Like I think my three year old yesterday, she asked me, I think she asked me like how

424

00:27:21,360 –> 00:27:23,360

people are made or something like that.

425

00:27:23,360 –> 00:27:26,720

She asked me some major questions that we’re not ready to cover that.

426

00:27:26,720 –> 00:27:27,720

Right.

427

00:27:27,720 –> 00:27:28,720

Yeah.

428

00:27:28,720 –> 00:27:31,680

But like she’s just curious, like where do things come from?

429

00:27:31,680 –> 00:27:36,600

And so I think that I think that kids, you know, obviously there’s a time and place for

430

00:27:36,600 –> 00:27:41,760

every single conversation, but but then you have to actually carve out the time to to

431

00:27:41,760 –> 00:27:42,760

educate them.

432

00:27:42,760 –> 00:27:50,120

Well, and I will say having a teenager and seeing her friends and hearing what’s important

433

00:27:50,120 –> 00:27:55,920

to them and the issues, it’s definitely different from when I was a teen.

434

00:27:55,920 –> 00:28:01,640

And they are definitely dialed into some social impact topics.

435

00:28:01,640 –> 00:28:07,200

And there are some things that they’re passionate about that they won’t bend on, you know, as

436

00:28:07,200 –> 00:28:11,320

far as things that they support and brands, especially.

437

00:28:11,320 –> 00:28:12,320

Yeah.

438

00:28:12,320 –> 00:28:17,440

So I think that I’m really excited for the future, I guess.

439

00:28:17,440 –> 00:28:22,500

I know sometimes things are just such a roller coaster in this world that it can seem so

440

00:28:22,500 –> 00:28:24,000

grim at times.

441

00:28:24,000 –> 00:28:30,760

But I do looking at her and kind of observing the way that they, you know, just embrace

442

00:28:30,760 –> 00:28:31,760

some of those things.

443

00:28:31,760 –> 00:28:37,520

I feel like we’re going to see some change coming and it will be good.

444

00:28:37,520 –> 00:28:38,520

Yeah, for sure.

445

00:28:38,520 –> 00:28:39,520

For sure.

446

00:28:39,520 –> 00:28:44,960

There are a lot of wonderful brands out there that are putting sustainability at the forefront

447

00:28:44,960 –> 00:28:49,480

and hopefully articulating what that means, because, you know, sustainability can be almost

448

00:28:49,480 –> 00:28:51,840

as confusing as the word fair trade.

449

00:28:51,840 –> 00:28:53,820

Yes, I know exactly.

450

00:28:53,820 –> 00:28:58,460

So we’ll just keep I’ll just keep doing episodes and explaining all of all of the terms.

451

00:28:58,460 –> 00:29:01,620

So thank you for joining us today.

452

00:29:01,620 –> 00:29:07,720

If you guys have any questions, I’ll have to add you, Kim, to our Facebook group, actually.

453

00:29:07,720 –> 00:29:13,760

And you know, you can get in there and ask questions or post things that you might, you

454

00:29:13,760 –> 00:29:18,560

know, have ideas for the next episode and we will include everything in the show notes.

455

00:29:18,560 –> 00:29:21,640

So thank you for sharing everything with us today.

456

00:29:21,640 –> 00:29:22,640

My pleasure.

457

00:29:22,640 –> 00:29:24,340

Thanks for having me.

458

00:29:24,340 –> 00:29:29,800

Another great episode today, if you like Healthy Family Project podcast, which I hope you do,

459

00:29:29,800 –> 00:29:31,400

tell a friend and leave us a rating.

460

00:29:31,400 –> 00:29:36,600

It will only help our visibility so we can continue to create a healthier generation.

461

00:29:36,600 –> 00:29:41,820

Don’t forget about our Facebook group, Healthy Family Project, where you can talk to me direct

462

00:29:41,820 –> 00:29:44,960

in there and share your thoughts and ideas for the podcast.

463

00:29:44,960 –> 00:29:47,140

I’d love to hear from you.

464

00:29:47,140 –> 00:29:52,280

You can also find Healthy Family Project at HealthyFamilyProject.com.

465

00:29:52,280 –> 00:29:57,960

You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube.

466

00:29:57,960 –> 00:29:58,960

Be sure to subscribe.

467

00:29:58,960 –> 00:29:59,960

Talk soon.