Monday, July 11, 2011

Alter Eco

Hi it's Caroline!
So, today, I'm not just writing about a product, I'm writing about a whole fair-trade COMPANY! I know, it's hard to believe that there's an entire brand dedicated to fair trade, and the products are STILL not easy to find! The brand is called Alter Eco, an it includes rice, grains, chocolate, any type of food that can be made fair trade. I mentioned one of their types of chocolate, dark chocolate almond, in one of my previous blogs about fair trade vs. non-fair trade chocolate. What makes Alter Eco different from other brands, is that they give you a sort of backstory on the product and the producer. They tell you where it's from, what cooperative, and what it was used for by the natives of that area originally. Some of the products are even organic. My mom decided to buy the pearl quinoa and the purple jasmine rice. The quinoa is grown in Bolivia, where it was originally used by the Incas, and the rie is grown is grown in Thailand, where t has traditionally been used as a staple for hundreds of years. They also show your impact on the earth right on the back. For example, the back of the jasmine rice says: 150 farmers benefit, there's a 60% increase in farmer's revenue, your purchase finances: rice mill and packing faciliy, construction of a health clinic, and social security program, and one tree is planted for every 167 packs of rice. Phew, all that, just because of one little package of rice? That takes helping the earth to a whole new level! :)



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Fair Trade Quinoa