Living in rural Ivory Coast, Alice has faced many challenges as a mother and cocoa farmer. Through support from her local co-operative and the ethical finance provided by Shared Interest, she is building a more secure livelihood and ensuring her children have opportunities she never had.
“I’ve been working with the cooperative for 4 years,” she said. “They teach us how to work in the field. They teach us everything about growing cocoa.”
For many parents in cocoa-growing communities, the Fairtrade Premium makes a vital difference — helping keep children in school, covering medical costs and giving families the financial freedom to make their own decisions. Alice said: “With the [Fairtrade] bonus money I received, I used to build my new house. I say thank you to the cooperative, because they made me happy.”
But stable income alone is not enough. For many cocoa farmers, accessing finance remains a major barrier. Shared Interest exists to change that. As a community benefit society, it uses investment from UK members to provide low-interest loans and credit to fair trade businesses across the globe. In Alice’s case, it provides finance to ECOOKIM, a network of cocoa co-operatives that supports over 30,000 producers in Ivory Coast. This finance enables ECOOKIM to pay farmers on time and at a fair price — allowing families to plan ahead, invest in their farms, and live with greater stability.
Farming is physically demanding, especially for women who are often managing both agricultural work and household responsibilities. “As a woman, I do my own work,” said Alice. “There are days when, if I earn a little [more], I hire people to come and help me.”
“My field is 2 hectares and everything’s going well. Apart from cocoa, I produce cashews, okra, eggplant, chilli, bananas and cassava too.”
She is also diversifying to support her family’s needs. “My field is 2 hectares and everything’s going well. Apart from cocoa, I produce cashews, okra, eggplant, chilli, bananas and cassava too.” She added: “Everything I sell, the money helps me [and supplements my income]. I spend on myself and my children.”
Choosing ethically traded products means choosing a system that prioritises fairness, sustainability and community wellbeing. But if we want trade to work for everyone — not just those at the top — we need to go further.
That is where Shared Interest comes in. We are not a bank. We are a co-operative-style community of over 11,000 people across the UK, investing their money to help create a fairer world. Our investors do not seek profit; they seek impact — knowing that their money is helping farmers like Alice build brighter futures for their families.
If you believe trade should put people before profit, you can be part of that change. Join us as a member or investor and help us extend opportunity where it is needed most. Together, we can ensure that women like Alice have the tools they need not only to survive — but to thrive.
Resources:
Shared Interest
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