Shepherd’s role is to help grow the UK market to increase sales for Fairtrade cocoa producers and therefore she both provides support for the confectionery industry and works on behalf of Fairtrade’s producer networks representing farmers in West Africa central, Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia Pacific. Supply chain managers across the Fairtrade international system also work together to liaise with the producer networks and address thematic issues facing them such as climate change, gender empowerment, through improvements to the system, such as standards reviews as well as specially funded programmes, campaigns and research. Living incomesIn the UK, Shepherd is currently working closely with Fairtrade’s policy and impact teams on driving forward its new campaign calling for living incomes for cocoa farmers in West Africa. She graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a BA Hons degree in Criminal Justice and has worked at the Fairtrade Foundation for more than five years, following a 10-year career in fresh product supply chain management in both the commercial and non-profit sector. In the podcast she talks about Fairtrade’s cocoa sourcing commitments, how changes to Fairtrade standards may affect their business, important updates on the West Africa Cocoa Program and its Women’s School of Leadership.

Source: Ethiopian News April 12, 2019 12:56 UTC