Cocoa Fair Trade in Ecuador

Esmeraldas, Ecuador

Correspondent: A river of liquid chocolate about to be molded into luxury
confectionary coined in the bloom days before the first Gulf War a Coco
Bean is known locally as Pepa De Oro or bean of gold. These chocolate
coins were made from Cocoa beans grown in the humid tropical forest one
of the Ecuador’s biggest bean grain provinces. Esmeralda’s in the low
lands of the pacific coast.

Hands On follows a research carried out by the natural resources institutes
ethical trade program and the department for international and
development to see how the Cocoa produces of Esmeralda’s are getting a
fair deal.

Pepa De Oro

Correspondent: Maquita Cushunchic or MCCH a nonprofit organization founded
15 years ago recently became Ecuador’s number one Cocoa exporter. It’s
motto let us help each other through cooperative trading. It covers 800
small holder cocoa farmers. This farm is owned by Nelly Trujillo who has
3 hectares of cocoa she, husband Louis and their 3 children are harvesting
the latest cocoa crops. In season for 8 months of the year it’s an important
part of their livelihood. She’s been a member of the MCCH Cooperative
for several years.

Nelly Trujillo: The benefits to us producers are the elimination of the milddleman with
MCCH our produce is actually weighed and we get a better price for our
beans. It’s good work for women because it’s not strenuous.

Correspondent: Regular workshops teach producers and their families have to
prevent crops being attacked by fungus improve yields grow cocoa from
seed and to use natural fertilizers. Spot checks are made on producers to
ensure they’re not using chemicals.

Juan Carlos Donoso (MCCH): We like to encourage whole families to come along.
This way each member of the family multiplies the effort and that’s more
efficient. We’re trying to recuperate the technology of our ancestors. Now
they use to cultivate the lands and grow a wide variety of produce which
was nutritious.

We want to avoid using pesticides because they’re unhealthy for the
products and they the environment and the consumer.

Correspondent: Friday morning the New York commodities market has just
announced the latest cocoa bean prices the Esmeralda’s MCCH Manager
on the right causes head office in the Port of Guayaquil to off the current
price. This week the going rate of 820,000 sucrose per sack that’s $32.5
U.S. he relates this to his agent who will then in keeping with company
policy take Cocoa producers a fixed premium based on the price. Senior
Jumbo a buyer for MCCH travels to a local weekend market armed with
the latest New York Cocoa price.

Producers link to the cooperative come here to sell their newly harvested
beans. Most small holders live far away from the exporter’s yards if
they’re not part of the cooperative they’re forced to use middlemen with
inaccurate weighing instruments to offer rock bottom prices. Senior Jumbo
adjust his prices according to the weight, humidity, quality and ripeness of
the beans and whether they’ve been attacked by pest or fungus.

Padre Graziano Mason (MCCH): People who produce for us and trade with us benefit
from the best prices, thanks to accurate weight measurements. There’s
good quality product, good relations between the producers and ourselves
and a cooperative spirit.

Correspondent: Due MCCH produce eco friendly beans.

Padre Graziano Mason (MCCH): Absolutely clearly, MCCH lives ecology we are in
the green province of Esmeraldas and we’re working and fighting in order
to respect its’ greenness and the beauty of it.