How does a guy immersed in studying “sensory psychology” get into fair trade?

Ask Tom, psychologist extraordinaire, who in his 50’s decided he was gonna do his part to change the way the world choco trade’s done.

It’s part of what he calls “a latent desire to learn about humans.” The guy started a fair trade chocolate company called Sweet Earth Organic Chocolate. On top of that, Tom teaches at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and runs a charitable org to help cocoa farmers.

What’s the problem, exactly? Well, it’s complex, but also simply ridiculous. Despite the fact that cocoa farmers face NO competition from western, more “developed” countries, African cocoa farmers have been doing worse and worse financially.

Tom says that industries unique to Africa especially are “tremendously undervalued,” because its people simply don’t have any bargaining power.

Fair trade is one way of allowing for more equitable trade between African cocoa farmers and western choco consumers, Tom says. Education’s another way — With education, the children of cocoa farmers can use their skills to better the lives of cacao farmers.

Luckily, fair trade certification’s the least of his problems. Tom says it only costs him an extra 18 cents an lb — which considering the costs of organic certification and such — is not that expensive.

The problem right now is that — while organics have gained a good market following in the US chocolate market, fair trade has not. Which is why Tom gets the cocoa for his company Sweet Earth from Peru and the Dominican Republic — despite the fact that what Tom really wants to do is bring fair trade chocos fromt he Ivory Coast to the American public.

Why? Sweet Earth is both fair trade and organic, but organic certification costs $15,000 per farm. Considering the fact that there are 600,000 farms in the Ivory Coast, you can see how it would mean a helluva lotta moolah to get all (or any of) those farms organic certified.

This means that almost all fair trade cocoa from the Ivory Coast goes to Europe — simply cuz there isn’t yet a market for it in the US. Only .01% of American chocos are fair trade.

“Trying to get consumers aware and caring is really tough,” Tom says. To buy from the FT farms in the Ivory Coast, Tom’s company has to buy a 38,000 lb package — which costs $100,000. Sweet Earth just isn’t there yet.

Still, Tom’s hopeful and optimistic. Sweet Earth is launching a new branding initiative, and the company’s already been using activist and guerilla marketing techniques. Tom’s gotten his and his wife’s friends to spend their evenings wrapping individual chocolates, for example.

Plus, I’ve been wrapping a bar of Sweet Earth onto each bday gift I give for a while now. This has the double benefit of getting people interested in fair trade in a yummy way, while inciting them to rip into a fair trade choco bar mid-party :)

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