Why Fairtrade?

As scrumptious as ever, true to the recipe and taste you love! The Fairtrade label, now present on all our packaging, guarantees that the product you’re buying respects the principles of fair trade.

Trade is a sustainable tool against poverty. This is where the concept of fair trade comes from. What exactly does this mean?

The Fairtrade label: not just a matter of price

For many, fair trade can be summarised as paying coffee, cocoa, sugar and banana producers fairly. In reality, that’s only one of the 10 key principles of fair trade, as laid out by the World Fair Trade Organization.

They also include:

• the absence of forced labour and child labour
• gender equality and no discrimination
• good working conditions
• respect for the environment
• …

Thus, fair trade is much more than just a commitment to paying producers fair prices.

From the idea to the labels

Obviously, good intentions are not enough to make fair trade a reality. This is where organizations like Fairtrade, UTZ or Rainforest Alliance come in.

These organizations created labels to allow consumers to clearly identify fair trade products. Companies wishing to use the label on their products are subject to precise specifications and regular inspections.

Beware of fake labels

« Not all labels are equal: every company can create its own label and place it on its products, defining its own criteria. This can be quite confusing for consumers », explains Vicente Balseca, Ethical & Sustainability Project Manager at Galler.

Following a research stage conducted by Vicente, Galler decided to work with the Fairtrade label (formerly Max Havelaar). It’s a reliable, transparent and renowned label, whose audits are carried out by an independent institution: FLOCERT. « For us, being Fairtrade certified means being part of the global fair trade movement and supporting a fairer, more respectful, more equitable system. Through this commitment, we are acting responsibly towards cocoa farmers, who are currently forced to work in unacceptable conditions. », he explains.

The Fairtrade guarantees of Galler chocolate 

To put it simply, the Fairtrade label ensures that our partner, which turns beans into chocolate for us, purchases an amount of cocoa equal to our orders at a fair price, from a cooperative which is also Fairtrade certified. This is known as the principle of “mass balance”. You can read about it in greater detail in a future article!
More specifically, Galler works with the Yeyasso cooperative, located in Ivory Coast. Thanks to this partnership, Yeyasso members receive an income that allows them to emerge from extreme poverty.
Additionally, the cooperative’s Fairtrade certification guarantees:

• a democratic system within the organisation (all its members have the right to express their opinion)
• no resorting to child labour in the plantations
• no discrimination
• no GMOs
• cocoa growers’ control over their lands.

When you buy Galler chocolate, you contribute in your own way to a fairer system while rewarding yourself!