You can buy fair trade ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s. Several Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors have received the fair trade certified label because ingredients include fair trade chocolate, fair trade coffee, fair trade vanilla, and ethically sourced macadamia nuts. Some of the fair trade certified flavors are
- Chocolate – Fair Trade Cocoa
- Vanilla – Fair Trade Vanilla Beans
- Coffee Heath Bar – Fair Trade Certified Coffee extract
- Chocolate Macadamia (my favorite so far)- Fair Trade Certified Cocoa and Vanilla and ethically sourced nuts
- Coffee – Fair Trade Certified Coffee Bean
- Coffee, Coffee Buzz Buzz – Fair Trade Certified Espresso Beans
Ben and Jerry’s has been using fair trade certified coffee since 2005. According to TransFair USA, a fair trade certifying organization, Ben and Jerry’s is attempting to be all fair trade by 2013. The benefits of fair trade are two fold. One the farmer receives a reasonable price for his/her crops, allowing that can feed the family. Secondly, it also allows consumers to know that people were not exploited in the making of the product or the ingredients in the final product.
In addition to fair trade Ben and Jerry’s helps lift Americans out of poverty through their patnership with Greyston Bakery. Ben & Jerry’s purchases brownies from the bakery. Greyston Bakery misson is to hire low income families to help them move to self-sufficiency. Their motto is “we don’t hire people to bake brownies, we bake brownies to hire people”. Greyston helps over 2,000 people annually by providing housing, childcare, educational training, and healthcare.
Buy Ben and Jerry’s fair trade or brownie ice creams the next time you need to cool down. You will be eliminating poverty on a global scale.
