On Valentine’s Day, many of us take time to show extra love to the special people in our lives. Stop in at any MPTC Campus Library from Feb. 7 – 18 to pick up your take-home Valentine kit and include some delicious Fair Trade chocolate!

Wouldn’t it be great if you could share that love with the farmers that help make this holiday extra sweet? Sign the virtual valentine for Fair Trade cocoa and flower farmers! 

Head to: https://padlet.com/FairTrade2022/MyFairTradeValentine and double-click the board to create your message now through Friday, February 18th. Once the valentine is filled with messages it will be sent to flower farmers at Agrocoex and cocoa farmers at Olam Ecuador.

Did you know?

• 70 percent of cocoa is produced by small holder farmers in West Africa, primarily Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. Indonesia, Brazil, and Ecuador are also major cocoa-producing countries.
• Cocoa trees take about five years to reach peak production and can continue producing at that level for about ten years.
• Chocolate is made from the seeds of cocoa pods, a tree-grown fruit. After harvesting, the seeds are removed from the pods and processed (fermented, dried, then roasted).
• It takes about 500 cocoa beans to make one pound of chocolate. In an average year, a cocoa tree produces enough fruit to make about two pounds of chocolate.
• An estimated two million children work on cocoa farms. Up to 40 percent of these children are not enrolled in school. Many Cocoa farmers are exposed to numerous hazards, including dangerous tools, dust, flames or smoke, hazardous chemicals, and physically demanding labor. 
• Fair Trade standards prohibit child labor, and community development premiums are often used to improve access to education. Fair Trade standards also prohibit harmful chemicals and provide a framework for environmental sustainability.

Find out more about Fair Trade and MPTC Fair Trade College!