It was such a sweet opportunity attending the Fairtrade Chocolate Masterclass at Xocolatl and meeting Ester Ephraim, the CEO of Fairtrade Australia, and two of Melbourne’s experienced chocolatiers.
What I expected to be a sugar-high trip to Willy Wonka, turned out not to only be a delicious tasting and chocolatier lesson, but also an extremely educational and inspiring story of Ester’s life as a Fairtrade farmer in Ghana. Ester’s family is a part of the Kuapa Kokoo Fairtrade Cooperative, which produces cocoa for Divine Fairtrade chocolate in Ghana.
While the prices of Fairtrade chocolate are more expensive, what consumers in the Western world may not be aware of, is the fact that this extra income goes to these countries to improve their communities and infrastructure in order to give these families a higher quality of life. Being a part of Fairtrade means farmers like the ones in Ester’s village, get a fair wage as well as economic help to improve schools, working conditions, healthcare, accessible drinking water, and also push efforts towards greater gender equality.
Fairtrade Australia has come up with The Power of You campaign in order to encourage humans to make a difference by purchasing ethically sourced products, like chocolate, with a green and blue Fairtrade Mark. To explore more about how you can be a part of Fairtrade: www.fairtrade.com.au