Featured Vendor: Alaffia: Advancing Gender Equality and Alleviating Poverty through the Fair Trade of Handcrafted Shea Butter

Alaffia was created to help West African communities become sustainable through the fair trade of indigenous resources. One key to sustainability is empowerment of individuals within the communities. They encourage empowerment through our community projects, our women's cooperatives, and education and involvement in our customer communities.

Women in West Africa have long been excluded from the formal education sector,which means many cannot read or write. This makes them less valuable as employees, and as such, they do not have many employment opportunities. One could "empower" these women by teaching them to read and write, and helping them to find employment. However, with the Alaffia women's cooperatives, we look at what these women have to offer that no one else does - their unique skills, traditions and knowledge. Then, we compensate them at fair value for these skills. As a result, they gain income and livelihoods to support their families, while maintaining traditions and managing a sustainable resource.

Alaffia Fair Trade Shea Butter The cost to handcraft shea butter at the Alaffia Cooperative is over two times the price of shea butter at West African ports.Why is their cost higher?
Nut prices - We pay 15-25% above market price for shea nuts
Fair wages - Our cooperative members receive a salary that is more than 4 times the average family income in Togo.
Benefits - Cooperative members also receive full medical care, employment security, and one paid month of vacation each year.

Featured Farmer: Evonuk Farms

At Evonuk Farms a local fresh fruit, veggie, and herb producer they have been supplying their island fresh produce for over twenty years, Walter Evonuk and his wife are taking over the reigns from his father Ed Evonuk. They are producing the largest local selection of herbs and spices on the island.

Their farm has a huge Photovoltaic Array which helps to power all the buildings and refrigeration on the farm. They also raise bananas, pomegranates, avocados, citrus, Sapotes, and other fruits to compliment their veggies like lettuce, eggplant, beans and radishes.