Support global farmers

Support global farmers

The issues 

Pastry and desserts make extensive use of global commodities such as cocoa, vanilla and sugar, as well as exotic fruits such as mango, passion fruit and citrus. Often grown in developing countries, it can be difficult to know exactly where these products come from and how they are grown.   

Why it matters

  • Sourcing certain items from outside of your country such as cocoa, vanilla, sugar and fruit can present challenges in terms of transparency (having visibility of the supply chain), social issues (workers’ rights and conditions) and environmental standards (growing and farming practices)  
  • Producers of these goods often end up with only a small amount of money for their crops when compared to the price paid by the end customer. Yet farmers deserve to be paid fairly for their produce. Ensuring that this is the case can in turn allow farmers to improve social and environmental practices on their farms 
  • A responsible business needs to understand where its ingredients come from and how they have been produced and use its purchasing to support economic development of farmers around the world 

Top tips to support global farmers

  • Ask your suppliers for details on where your dry store goods (cocoa, sugar, vanilla, tea, coffee etc.) and any exotic fruit come from. Ask for the country of origin and ideally the farm where they have been grown 
  • Buy from suppliers who have policies in place around workers’ rights and environmental standards 

Get inspired by our contributors

ZEDDA

It’s important for us to buy well. That means having transparency, paying the producers supplying us fairly, knowing where each of our product comes from and the knowledge and skill that went into producing them. Our customers want to know the stories of our producers and we want to share them. This is why we spotlight our producers: we have a dedicated section on our menus and our website, and our service staff is trained in communicating these stories.

Adrien ZEDDA 
Executive Chef 
Culina Hortus  
Lyon, France 

Lucila CANERO

Being based in Spain, we can’t buy chocolate locally. So this is why we look for certifications such as Organic or Fair-Trade or work with companies like Valrhona who can guarantee high sourcing standards.

Lucila CANERO 
Pastry Chef & Owner  
La Luciérnaga 
Barcelona, Spain 

Assess your impact

So what now? You understand the issues, you’ve read the tips. Now find out how your own business measures up by taking our free online assessment.