While Fairmade does not purport to be another certification as such, its originator Brett Beach (also co-founder of MIA chocolate) believes it brings something qualitatively different to the table.
But does cocoa need another certification? Managers of cocoa processing companies and cooperatives are already swamped with heaps of time-consuming (and expensive) administrative tasks to comply with the likes of Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and other specialist marks
“Namely, the discussion is no longer just about ingredients but about the massively important added value, skilled jobs, and control that production entails,” says Beach.
Fairmade says it represents a group of companies that make finished products at the origin of the primary product ingredient, creating and utilising local skilled manufacturing jobs, adding value to boost the economy and supporting communities in developing countries.
More consumers are looking for a better certification and going back to origin, differentiating it from other certification bodies, such as Fairtrade, which regulates ingredients or commodities like cocoa and coffee.
MIA Africa, which stands for Made in Africa, is also differentiated as one of the pioneering companies that makes chocolate at origin instead of those that manufacture chocolate outside the cocoa-producing country.
Its Ghana Gold brand has gone on to win awards for the quality of its chocolate. Speaking at the launch of Fairmade in 2023, Beach said: “We have demonstrated that communities in Africa can produce excellent products and we know consumers are eager to support brands that create innovative impact in developing countries.
“This is why we are asking certification schemes to create a separate category for Fairmade, products that are crafted from raw ingredients to packaged goods at origin to add more value and support skilled jobs.”
Two years on, Fairmade has been gaining traction in the industry, resulting in an official UK association with Fairmade becoming an official UK trademark. It also had its own stand at the UK Farm Shop & Deli show in April 2024.
The stand was the first to unite Fairmade members and promoted Fairmade products from MIA (chocolate, Ghana), the Sunshine Nut Co (cashew products, Mozambique), Lovegrass (teff products, Ethiopia) and Black Mamba (hot sauces, Eswatini).
The first products bearing the Fairmade trademark are expected to hit UK shelves this year, including Sunshine Nut Co in Mozambique.
Impact standards
The organisation has also developed impact standards that companies would need to share if they want to apply for use of the trademark on their products.
The founders believe that Fairmade is potentially a more equitable model for income distribution, and this is supported by an argument that value addition to materials in the country of origin may foster sustainable income growth.
The FAIRMADE Association CIC, a company limited by guarantee set up specifically to register the trademark, currently has a board consisting of Brett Beach Jamie MacAlister and Evans Appiah Kissi.
MacAlister said: “Buying these products is one of the best ways of alleviating poverty in the world’s poorest continent, Africa, because it supports skilled jobs, reducing unemployment and improving family income above subsistence levels, the main issues contributing to poverty.”
Companies approved to use the Fairmade trademark need to make their products at source and present their ethical trade credentials and social impact to materials in the country of origin, which may foster sustainable income growth.
- For more information visit the Fairmade website
- To understand more about how Fairmade works, check out an article written by Mcalister: 'The case for fair trade and Fairmade as an optimal way to alleviate poverty'.
cocoaradar.com is:
- Official Media Partner - World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting in São Paulo, Brazil, 19-20 March 2025.
- Official Media Partner - Amsterdam Sustainable Cocoa Conference, Chocoa, 4-9 February 2025.
- 'From Our Desk. To Yours'
- Sign-up here for free and upgrade to an annual plan with a 35% discount