October is Fair Trade Month!

Did you know that along with being synonymous for breast cancer awareness month, October is Fair Trade month?

To celebrate we asked one of our founders, Travis Baumgardner, to write a quick summary of how Sambazon became Fair Trade certified!

“Fair Trade certification has been part of our company’s triple bottom line mission and overall values from the beginning. Our goal is to add value through our work to benefit the entire supply chain of Açai fruits, which not only includes environmental support, but also social and economic support to the families that own and manage the agro-forestry areas in the Amazon Rainforest where the fruit is harvested. Fair Trade certification identifies opportunities and measures progress socially and economically.

We remain the first and only source of Açaí to be certified Ecocert Fair Trade, providing sustainable employment for over 3,000 people and fostering environmental stewardship on over 1.7 million acres of biodiverse agro-forestry farms in Amapá and Pará States.

Fair Trade Certification supports all 3 pillars of Sambazon’s triple bottom line (economic-environmental-social) success. It guarantees that the agro-forestry farms and their families who supply Sambazon with Açai fruit are receiving a fair market price along with Sambazon funded technical support which will increase their family income and add value to their lives. By promoting triple bottom line success, the families and their work to promote bio diverse lands are proving the case for sustainable development in the Amazon Rainforest. Through Sambazon Açai, this is bringing long term development and improved living and financial freedoms to an impoverished region where clear cutting for lumber, soy and cattle are predominant.”

Thanks Travis! And Happy Fair Trade Month Everyone!