The Body Shop community fair trade and new Brazil nut range

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Gaston Vizcarra, owner of Candela and community fair trade supplier to The Body Shop. I've always known that The Body Shop supported the use of ethical ingredients and community fair trade, but it wasn't until meeting Gaston that I sat down and thought about what that really meant for the producers:

  The Body Shop community fair trade

The Body Shop community fair trade - Gaston Vizcarra

One of their motto's is Trade not aid, and I think that sums it up perfectly. It's a mutually beneficial relationship which provides long term support and investment for the supplier. The Body Shop (and it's customers) get quality ingredients, and the workers are guaranteed safe working conditions and fair pay.

Women are able to support their families and there's even a self esteem programme in place to help them realise their worth. There's an environmental impact too. Because there's money to be made from brazil nuts, less trees are cut down for timber, thus safeguarding the forests and providing a source of income for future generations.

The Body Shop Brazil nuts

Take Brazil nut oil for example, when Gaston founded Candela, he came to the UK with just one coca cola bottle of Brazil nut oil to sell. They now produce over 7000 tonnes per year and the oil is used in everything from my favourite Hemp hand protector to the eyeshadow shimmer cubes.

What I enjoyed most though was his personal stories of the Amazon rain forest. To collect the Brazil nuts, the men would load their boat with supplies and be out for hours at a time, often in wet, humid conditions. As you'd expect, the sacks are heavy, and being able to carry one is almost like a rite of passage for young men in the area. And for those of you that want to travel the rain forests, Gaston advises always taking a lamp and a knife (once they got lost and almost walked into a lion's den), and in the heat of summer, don't stand still for too long else you'd make the local mosquitos very happy!

The Body Shop Brazil nut range

The Body Scrub Brazil nut range

You may remember that a few years ago, The Body shop did a limited edition Brazil nut range? Well it'll be back in stores from April 2013 (this time permanently) and they've added in some new products too. My top picks: the body scrub which smells like a tub of creamy milk chocolate, and of course their body butter, which is more nutty in flavour, but perfect for keeping my skin soft and moisturised.

What do you think about community fair trade? Were you a fan of the original Brazil nut range?