In honor of National Co-op Month, we’re shining a light on Equal Exchange, a worker-owned business that has been building long-term, economically just partnerships with small-scale organic farmer cooperatives around the world for the past four decades. The organization was founded to create an alternative trade model that puts power back in the hands of farmers and eaters.
Read on to learn about the various types of cooperative structures embodied by the Equal Exchange brand, featured on Cornucopia’s Independent Organic Brand List:
Producer co-ops: Coffee is typically grown in high altitudes by small producers – 60 percent of the world’s coffee is produced by an estimated 12.5 million people working on farms no larger than 50 acres. Yet the coffee industry is increasingly controlled by multinational corporations. Equal Exchange buys coffee and other products directly from producer co-ops, ensuring dignity for member farmers by going above and beyond Fair Trade standards to redefine ethical trade. These small farmer co-ops run their businesses democratically and decide how to invest in their communities, whether through shared organic compost production facilities or farmer-to-farmer training programs. Equal Exchange’s green bag coffee, which features Cornucopia’s logo, is imported from farmers cooperatives that prioritize regenerative organic practices that are more resilient to climate change.
Worker-owned co-ops: Equal exchange employees own, operate, and govern the business, allowing them to give back to producers, even in lean, challenging times. Their early commitment to importing products from farmer cooperatives inspired the brand’s own ownership structure, which operates with the core values of transparency and fairness. Worker-owners have access to shared financial information and vote equally to choose board members, decide how to reinvest profits, and approve new worker-members. A “Never Sell Out” clause in its by-laws ensure that, in the event of a sale, all net proceeds would be donated to another alternative trade company.
Co-op Grocery Stores: Equal Exchange sells to and uplifts grocery co-ops. These alternative grocers are owned by the community for the community. Some, like Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, are also worker owned. Member-owners vote on how to reinvest profits, supporting food banks, beginning farmer funds, and other initiatives underpinning resilient food systems. Retail co-ops practice the principle of access to education (getting involved in one offers a crash course on the food system) and support the brands organic shoppers rely on: Retail co-ops are often the launchpads for regional independent brands. Find the co-op closest to you or on your travels.
Cooperation with cooperatives is one way Equal Exchange demonstrates its deep commitment to a democratic food system that engages the voices and participation of all people in the supply chain — that includes you! Dig deeper to find Equal Exchange’s resources that explain fair trade practices, worker cooperatives, and the global food system.
