Credit: © Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg
On Thursday 30 January 2025, the non-profit organisation Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg held a press conference on the theme “Another Trade is Possible – A Fair ‘Farmer & Farmer’ Partnership between Ghana and Luxembourg”.
The central theme of the conference was the partnership between the Fairtrade Kuapa Kokoo cocoa cooperative, founded in 1993 in Kumasi, Ghana, with over 100,000 members, and Fairkoperativ Lëtzebuerg, a cooperative established in 2011 that brings together 79 Luxembourgish dairy farmers under the brand D’fair Mëllech.
Despite a distance of nearly 4,500 km, the two cooperatives have established a strong and equitable partnership. Since 2016, high-quality cocoa beans from the Ghanaian cooperative have been used in D’fair Mëllech chocolate beverages. This innovative “Farmer & Farmer” partnership is built on shared fundamental values of respect, fairness, justice and sustainability, offering a concrete solution to restore the dignity of producers while demonstrating that a different North-South economic cooperation is possible in a global market often dominated by the strongest players.
According to the organisers, this “Fair & Local” model, which combines Fairtrade raw materials with locally sourced ingredients from Luxembourgish artisans, is one of the key pillars of Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg’s mission. Today, this approach is considered more necessary than ever, as both Ghanaian cocoa farmers and Luxembourgish small and medium-sized agricultural producers face similar challenges. They struggle against the dominance of large corporations and intermediaries that dictate prices and working conditions, highlighting the urgent need for fair and sustainable economic solutions.
In the symbolic fair trade initiative to strengthen solidarity ties, Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg, Luxlait, Luxembourg’s largest dairy cooperative, and D’fair Mëllech have joined forces in a symbolic initiative celebrating the partnership between Luxembourgish dairy farmers and Ghanaian cocoa producers. As part of this initiative, D’fair Mëllech has committed to donating 1,000 chocolate drinks to children in the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative, reinforcing the tangible impact of this fair partnership. This gesture is said to not only highlight the commitment to supporting producer communities but also to strengthen the connection between cocoa and dairy producers through fair trade. By offering these chocolate beverages, the partners emphasise that fair trade extends beyond economic transactions, fostering solidarity and meaningful relationships between communities.
