Seed and Bean: Fairtrade Fortnight Brand Spotlight

Introduction: Seed and Bean a Fairtrade Brand Spotlight

At rosegold reports I like supporting companies whose products offer value, quality and sustainability. I care about ethical consumerism, so I try to choose products which are kind to people and the environment. To do this, I look for things like: fairtrade ingredients, good company ethics (e.g. b corp) and recyclable packaging. For Fairtrade Fortnight, I’m showcasing Seed & Bean, a chocolate producer based in the UK. Seed and Bean (founded 2005) make over 20 varieties of chocolate, I review four of them here. Their batch size is just 45 litres, this makes them artisans (industrial chocolatiers produce 20,000 – 50,000 litres).

Seed and Bean: Award Winning Ethics

Seed and Bean has received awards as one of the most ethical chocolate producers in Britain. They’re the only chocolate brand to receive a perfect 100 ECI (top marks across all ethical categories) in The Good Shopper Guide 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019. In 2020 Seed and Bean receive 92, purely due to leaving the Vegan Association, but they still produce vegan dark chocolate.

Seed and Bean: Organic and Fairtrade

Every ingredient in Seed and Bean chocolate is organic, which is great news because organic food is better for you. Organic food has more nutrients and fewer chemicals (e.g. pesticides). More nutrients means the cocoa contains higher levels of antioxidants which are good for health. It’s also kinder to the environment, for example rain doesn’t leach pesticides from the soil into rivers, causing pollution. Organic farms are also kinder to animals including the livestock they breed and the wild insects living there.

The cocoa used in 16 of Seed and Bean’s chocolate bars is fairtrade. Fairtrade is a certification proving that producers in the developing world receive “better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade.” In real terms this means that the farmers receive market rate or above for their beans. They also receive proper proper working conditions and can participate in local projects (funded by the fairtrade foundation). For instance access to healthcare and education.

Seed and Bean: 100% compostable packaging

Seed and Bean chocolate bars come sealed in a paper outer wrapper and a foil inner wrapper. The outer paper layer is recyclable. The inner foil is made from Natureflex™ . This is a special flexible cellulose film made from eucalyptus wood pulp! This means the inner foil can go straight in your home compost bin.