Fair Trade and Organic Ingredients
At Beau’s, ethical sourcing isn’t a choice; it’s at the core of what we do. We exclusively source ingredients that are both fairly traded and organically sourced, working with certified suppliers where such frameworks exists (see examples below).
When sourcing ingredients that do not have these schemes widely in use (such as pistachio growers), we apply a number of stringent checks against a number of sustainability and ethical practices when choosing our suppliers, with an emphasis on ensuring a fully transparent supply chain that does the world good.
A Network of Sustainable Suppliers
Cocoa
Equal Exchange
We source our cocoa from Equal Exchange, which partners with farming cooperatives in the Dominican Republic, Peru and Ecuador that use organic, sustainable growing methods. Owned by its workforce, Equal Exchange follows ‘authentic Fair Trade values’, paying above-market premiums to its farmer partners.
Unlike much of the cocoa available on the market, Equal Exchange guarantees that its cocoa is shipped and processed in a segregated manner, so no unethical cocoa is introduced to the final product.
CASHEWS
Liberation
At Beau’s, we have a long-standing partnership with Liberation, a Fairtrade-certified nut supplier based in the UK. The Fairtrade system ensures a fair price for producers and protection of workers’ rights.
Liberation sources cashews from Coprolef, a 400-strong cooperative in Burkina Faso, and from the Fair Trade Alliance Kerala (FTAK) which uses organic and traditional farming techniques to preserve the land on which it works.
Sugar
Organic Raw Cane SUgar
We source high quality Fairtrade and organic raw cane sugar from a handpicked selection of suppliers.
Fairtrade certification doesn’t exist at present for other comparable sugars; by choosing to source raw cane sugar from certified suppliers, we can confidently trace the product supply chain and know the product we are using is grown following ethical practices.
The Importance of Transparent Supply Chains
There is no question that the world’s climate is changing due to human activity; it is vital for responsible food manufacturers to do all they can to preserve the planet’s resources and support suppliers that commit to sustainable practices.
Without supply chain transparency, consumers are at the mercy of what companies tell them about how their products are grown, processed, shipped, made and packaged.
Businesses such as ours need to make sure that we can guarantee sustainable practices across all of these areas – a daunting task for any business when many suppliers refuse to shed light on their activities.
As well as choosing fairly traded, organically grown raw materials, we remain in regular, direct contact with many of our suppliers to ensure that our food chain remains ethical, food safe and completely vegan.
We are building long term relationships with suppliers to guarantee sustainable, stable sourcing of raw ingredients so that our customers can know our gelato is totally sustainable from crop to cone – and have committed to providing regular updates on these suppliers via an annual Sustainability Report.
