Your Ben & Jerry’s pint is part of helping Fairtrade farmers prosper - learn more this Fairtrade Fortnight!

When our co-founders first started scooping ice cream way back in 1978, they decided that they were going to run their business differently from the companies they saw around them. They believed that businesses had a responsibility to their communities and to everyone in their supply chain. We still live those values today, with every fudge chunk and caramel swirl.

How do we make sure that as we prosper, everyone who has a hand in making our ice cream prospers, too? We use our innovative business model called linked prosperity, which works to ensure that from the farmers who cultivate our cocoa to the dairy workers who milk the cows, everyone gets their fair share.

What does that look like in practice? We’re glad you asked . . .

Fairtrade Means A Fair Share For Farmers

Every one of our flavors is Fairtrade Certified, which means that we support smallholder sugar, cocoa, vanilla, banana, and coffee farmers who receive an additional social premium on top of the purchase price of their crop. They can then use that extra money to support their families, build climate resilience into their operations, and support thriving communities through health services, education, affordable housing, and more. Building climate resilience through planting more trees and using less water intensive farming methods makes a huge difference. Did you know your pint of Ben & Jerry’s is a part of doing all that?

The Journey To A Living Income

In addition to paying a premium to Fairtrade farmers, we also work with Fairtrade International to pay an even higher price for the cocoa in our ice cream (chunks and swirls coming soon!) to support our cocoa farmers on their journey to achieving a living income. Why cocoa farmers specifically? Other than the fact that we’re pretty big fans of chocolate ice cream, cocoa farmers are in a particularly vulnerable position.

Fluctuations in the global cocoa market, changing rainfall patterns, and increasing deforestation all have an outsized impact on cocoa production, which translates to a lot of inequity in the global cocoa supply chain. For example, almost 40% of the world’s cocoa comes from the Ivory Coast, where farmers earn an average of $1 per day, trapping many in extreme poverty. That’s why we’re committed to paying farmers an even higher price for their product, supporting their journey to achieving a living income and helping them adapt to a changing climate.

A fairer deal for people and the planet, too

This Fairtrade Fortnight, we want to help highlight how Fairtrade is not just fairer for our farmers, but it’s also fairer for the planet -  because if we can pay the farmers who grow our cocoa, sugar and vanilla a fair wage, farmers can look after their families AND farm sustainably.

Why does choosing Fairtrade matter?

Whether it’s Fairtrade tea, chocolate or your favourite Ben & Jerry’s pint, by taking the simple action of choosing Fairtrade, you are protecting the future of our food by supporting farmers on the frontline of the climate crisis and facing rising costs. When purchasing Fairtrade, you can feel good about the future planet and people you are choosing every time you shop - we definitely think that makes it even sweeter!

Want to learn more? Head to Fairtrade today to see what products you buy everyday that you can start swapping out for a fairer Fairtrade future!