Fair Trade Morning Perk: Underdog to Top Banana

Published January 22, 2009 @ 08:29AM PT

You start to get a real connection to bananas once you become one. Yes, that's me in my homemade Fair Trade banana Halloween costume. Proud of it. I even rode around the streets of San Francisco on a bike with it on. (Note: Don't try it at home kids (or adults). Not very good peripheral vision)

Twenty years ago, Jonathan Rosenthal co-founded Equal Exchange to bring some justice to the coffee industry. Now years later, Equal Exchange has achieved that goal and now brings justice to your pantry in the form of tea, cocoa, sugar and chocolate. Now, Rosenthal is bringing Fair Trade justice to fruits, in particular bananas.

Banana companies have been accused of horrible abuses for almost a century. Oké USA is a new kind of company, one that brings good, healthy food to people here and enhances the lives and communities where bananas are grown. We're doing for bananas what we did for coffee 20 years ago. It's a win-win relationship between proud farmers and satisfied consumers. [via: CSR news]

Jovany Coronel, President of El Guabo, one of Oké 's suppliers and farmer owners says:

Buying Oké means you choose delicious bananas that are farmed with care. We get a fair price, fair share and fair say- and that makes the bananas taste even better.

Bringing empowerment to banana farmers that have long been exploited. As Jonathan Rosenthal I believe once said, "making the underdog a top banana".

You know how I feel about videos lately. Here's a clip about Oké's Fair Trade fruit. First coffee, now bananas. Fair Trade. Taking over your breakfast foods.

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Author

Zarah is the Operations Manager for the Global Exchange Fair Trade Online Store, a project of the international human rights organization, Global Exchange. Alongside her work with marginalized communities from all over the world to get their products into the international market, Zarah serves to educate and inform the public about a more just and sustainable trading system.