A historically problematic trade can change through Fair Trade and thoughtful consumers.

Cacao is primarily grown in developing countries and largely consumed as chocolate in more affluent countries like the United States. The industry has been rife with injustices for centuries, including low pay for farmers, forced child labor and a lack of environmental protections to sustain the industry. Unpredictable and more severe weather patterns have put the sustainability of the worldwide cacao trade in jeopardy. On the world market, cacao prices are currently rising as supply lessens and demand persists. While the industry has been problematic for a long time, there are organizations working to combat the injustices through a better way of trade.

Equal Exchange Cooperative is a leader in equitable and just trade. Their business model focuses on direct relationships with small farmers and farmer co-ops. The system they use is called Fair Trade. When shoppers buy certified Fair Trade chocolate, they support small farmer families worldwide and contribute to the sustainability of the cacao trade.

Equal Exchange adheres to the Fair Trade business model to create a system that benefits everyone. They partner with farmers and cacao producer cooperatives to create a new cacao trade system. This model helps ensure that farmers are protected from the capricious nature of the commodity market, that cacao production doesn't require rampant deforestation, and that chocolate production does not involve the use of forced child labor. With a premium price and stable market to sell their product, cocoa farmers, working through Fair Trade, have income they can plan for and rely on and are able to adopt practices and programs that are good for the environment and their communities.