Enjoy this insightful conversation with Olowo-n’djo Tchala, founder and CEO of Alaffia! He shares with Elisha the process of how he started fair trade cooperatives to support farmers & makers to employ their vast knowledge to create excellent products while protecting the power of collective bargaining. He shares the process of bringing traditional African values and knowledge to fair trade and why it’s important to consider the production structure of our goods, not just the materials. Learn how implementing an ‘investment forward’ strategy creates a more stable community future. Finally, he shares the challenges and opportunities for adapting policies and certification standards shaped by Western belief systems into local community contexts and the impact of adapting key elements of a community-centered model so that more people can gather under the fair trade umbrella.

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