Today, our adventures in privilege-checking come to us care of the distant Ivory Coast, but its subject is as close as the aisle of your local grocery store.
Cocoa farmer N’Da Alphonse has been farming the beans for years, but has never tasted the rich, delicious chocolate they create. His interaction with his harvest stops at his cocoa bean broker. A bar of chocolate is rare in the Ivory Coast, and at the cost of two euros, even more of a treat. Since Alphonse supports a family of 15 and pays four workers a salary of seven euros per day, it’s easy to understand why he hasn’t ever had the chance to literally enjoy the fruits of his labor.
None of Alphonse’s laborers even knew what their harvest of cocoa beans produced.
The clear takeaway? Next time you’re about to satiate your sweet tooth, make sure it’s fair trade.
H/T Reddit | Photo via dfataustralianaid/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
