Fair supply chains support smallholder farmers around the world.

Serendipol – the world's leading source of organic and fair trade coconut oil.

Serendipol's project for the production of organic and fair trade coconut oil resulted from Dr. Bronner's involvement in the reconstruction following the devastating 2004 tsunami. Serendipol began in 2007 with an abandoned coconut mill, two shipping containers as an office, the identification of our partners from Sri Lanka, and a few friends with experience and a lot of motivation. In those years, many – including future farmers and employees – considered the project unrealistic.

Eleven years later, Serendipol works with over 1,200 farmers cultivating 20,000 hectares, employs 250 workers and staff , and processes up to 30 million coconuts per year. Serendipol's factory workers enjoy working conditions and compensation uncommon in the industry, with opportunities for personal and professional development and a management style based on respect and participation for all, increasingly attracting professionals in accounting, agriculture, and administration who want to contribute to the rural development of the Kuliyapitiya area.

The Serendipol factory is also a good example of the enormous potential of an excellent renewable resource, the coconut palm. All byproducts have commercial value: the outer layers of the coconut are sold and then transformed into fiber for ropes, mats, and erosion control; the husks are burned for energy production in our boiler or sold for charcoal and activated carbon production; the seeds are sold for animal feed and food; some of the coconut water is sold to a local exporter; the remainder is biologically treated and used for irrigation in the Company's garden. Aside from the normal packaging waste, the factory generates no further waste. Since its inception, Serendipol has represented the idea that organic farming is more than just "not using agrochemicals." Farmers have been taught to improve soil fertility by applying compost, to use leaves and branches as root protection for plants, to intercrop with other tree species, and to introduce dairy cows to their farms.

The Fair Trade award paid by Dr. Bronner's and other clients has funded nearly 1,000 Fair Trade projects, large and small, selected by a Fair Trade committee comprised of farmers, workers, and managers. Projects include seed funding for compost production, providing essential medical equipment for rural clinics, renovating schools and providing vocational training for disadvantaged youth, supporting workers to renovate their homes, restoring water reservoirs covered by invasive plants (using plant waste in compost), and vital infrastructure such as bridges, roads, and electricity to connect rural villages. Supporting numerous local communities is another focus of Serendipol's Fair Trade project. To date, Serendipol has spent approximately $1.8 million on Fair Trade projects. The company's pragmatic, comprehensive, and effective Fair Trade projects are evidence of the potential of the Fair Trade award – if managed with vision and care.

Watch the video "Journey to Serendipol"

Coconut oil – Samoa

SerendiCoco Samoa – a joint venture to revitalize the coconut industry in Samoa.

In 1990, Western Samoa's once-thriving coconut industry had lost its competitiveness. Today, much of the domestic coconut production remains unharvested. Under the name SerendiCoco Samoa , we created a joint venture in 2016 with an experienced producer of conventional copra coconut oil (copra is the dried oilseed pulp of the coconut from which the oil is extracted). The joint venture supports farmers in converting to organic farming, and the first 1000 farmers achieved organic farming status in 2017. Since SerendiCoco Samoa As the price paid for organic copra increased, interest from farmers skyrocketed. Following the installation of a small refinery, SerendiCoco Samoa now produces and sells organic and fair trade copra coconut oil. Considering Samoa's small population of around 150,000 and its reliance on remittances from family members living abroad, the project has the potential to significantly shift domestic coconut production to organic and fair trade – and have a positive impact on the country's economy.

A key challenge is the age and declining productivity of Samoa's coconut plantations. Since 2016, SerendiCoco Samoa has been working with government agencies, international donors, and agroforestry experts to design a replanting scheme based on the concept of "dynamic agroforestry"—mixed plantations of coconut, cacao, fruit trees, and timber trees. This increases land productivity and biodiversity, improves soil resistance to drought and erosion, enhances food security, and helps rebuild two former key export industries: coconut oil and cacao. This concept also helps sequester carbon from the atmosphere and significantly improve soil organic matter. This ambitious program could eventually encompass and "regenerate" much of the land suitable for coconut cultivation. Some will include pure coconut plantations where livestock can graze. Finally, projects funded by the Fair Trade award will address educational and health issues in villages, often in remote locations, with a particular focus on youth employment.

Palm Oil – Ghana

Fruit cleaners in the Serendipalm (photograph by Rapunzel Naturkost)

Serendipalm – sustainable palm oil from smallholders in Ghana

Palm oil is a key ingredient in Dr. Bronner's bar soaps. It gives our bar soaps their consistency and controls the lather production of coconut oil, preventing the soap from softening and dissolving too quickly. With the rapid expansion of palm oil plantations in Southeast Asia, causing widespread environmental degradation and social hardship, it became imperative to find a source of palm oil that did not cause deforestation, endanger crucial habitats, or impoverish communities.

We began our search for a sustainable and socially responsible source of palm oil in 2006. With the support of the NGO Fearless Planet , we found partners in the rural eastern region of Ghana near Asuom. Serendiplam, our sister company in Ghana, built a small palm oil factory that uses traditional processes but with improved facilities and safer, more efficient equipment. We then began recruiting smallholder farmers to use organic farming methods in their production.

Since the factory began production in 2008, Serendipalm has become the most respected organic and fair trade palm oil project. Serendipalm works exclusively with smallholder farmers and is the largest employer in a region where traditionally there were not many secure jobs. The factory's more than 200 workers, mostly local women without qualifications, enjoy working conditions and compensation unmatched by other small palm oil factories. Serendipalm has also brought 20 professionals to Asuom – agricultural engineers, scientists, accountants, and administrators – who value the participatory management style and its positive social impact. These workers have chosen to live in the countryside, where they can earn a living by making a difference – and many have already begun to put down roots by starting families and raising children.

Serendipalm buys palm fruit from over 635 family-run palm plantations ranging in size from 2 hectares. It pays farmers fair prices plus an organic premium for their palm fruit, provides biomass to put back into the soil to protect it, trains them in organic farming techniques to improve soil fertility and yield, and provides interest-free financing for the purchase of new, more productive palm plants. Many of the palm producers also grow cocoa and wanted to abandon the intensive use of pesticides that is very common in cocoa production in Ghana – so we supported their conversion to organic farming practices, and in 2018 the first organic and fair trade cocoa was sold.

At the end of 2016, we also began implementing dynamic agroforestry concepts, which consist of planting mixed species in multiple layers. Dynamic agroforestry allows farmers greater profitability and return per hectare, greater biodiversity, and thus less threat from pests and greater potential for capturing _CO2 from the atmosphere. These concepts are being implemented first on our two small farms and will be expanded to Serendiplum farmers throughout Ghana in the coming years.

The fair trade premiums paid by Dr. Bronner's and other clients have been used for a range of community development projects: water systems, public restrooms, a maternity ward and nurses' accommodation, a pedestrian bridge, lighting, school supplies, mosquito nets to protect against malaria, and "green islands"—the planting of trees in the villages surrounding Serendipalm. As our employees already have 100 children and grandchildren, we are building a Montessori preschool that will be part of the "Ghana Regenerative Learning Center" campus, an NGO founded by Serendipalm and Dr. Bronner's aimed at helping people, the land, and their communities rebuild.

Serendipalm now supplies organic and fair trade palm oil to Dr. Bronner's and several European fair trade companies such as GEPA and Rapunzel . With increasing demand for our palm oil, cocoa, and dynamic agroforestry practices, we are expanding our operations – for the benefit of farmers, workers, and the local community.

Olive oil – Palestine and Israel

Olive oil from the Holy Land

In homage to our Jewish heritage and our commitment to promoting peaceful coexistence, our olive oil comes from the Holy Land, sourced from farmers in both Palestine and Israel. Organic olive oil is what gives Dr. Bronner's pure Castile soaps their velvety softness.

At the end of 2006, we began sourcing 90% of our olive oil from Canaan , a company founded by Palestinians near the city of Jenin in the West Bank. Their goal was to improve the economic conditions of West Bank olive oil producers with customers on the eastern side through fair trade, promoting peaceful coexistence with Israel. Canaan works closely with the Palestinian Fair Trade Association (PFTA) and already sources olive oil from 1,700 associated smallholder farmers. Dr. Bronner's helped Canaan plan and finance the project for organic and fair trade certification through the "Fair for Life" program. This boosted the project's visibility and gave it access to markets in Europe and the US.

In the past, exporting quality olive oil from Palestine was virtually impossible due to its geographical location and competition with olive oil from subsidized and free-trade countries in the Mediterranean. But now, APCJ's associated producers receive a price that allows them to cover production costs and receive a 25% organic farming and fair trade premium. Canaan donates the remaining funds to education, tree planting, and logistics projects.

Since 2009, trade with Dr. Bronner's and other buyers has helped Canaan expand, making it a symbol of hope for the sustainable and fair economic development of small olive oil producers and their communities. The company also produces and exports other traditional Palestinian foods, such as couscous and sun-dried tomatoes, thus enabling Palestinian producers to access the growing value-added market for organic and fair trade products, rehabilitating their traditional livelihoods.

Since 2014, Canaan has significantly expanded the range of organic products and regenerative practices used by its producers. It cooperates with the Canaan Center for Research and Extension (CORE) in developing non-toxic pest control techniques for almond trees, multi-species cultivation of olive trees and shrubs, and the organization of vegetable and tree cultivation fields. Canaan also supports traditional producers who use multi-species cultivation and cover cropping practices and who serve as model producers. The model producer program includes conservation practices in soil preparation and the integration of sheep and goats into the fields. Through CORE, Canaan is also studying the local ecosystem and cultivation practices to learn how they can maintain productive olive trees that are over 2,000 years old.

10% of our olive oil comes from Israel. Sindyanna , a fair trade business run by Jewish and Arab women in Israel, supports Israeli-Arab producers and workers. Inspired by a vision of peace symbolized by the olive branch, we also source olive oil from the Jewish-Israeli Strauss family farm, a pioneer in organic olive oil production.

Watch the video “ Organic and Fair Trade Olive Oil from the Holy Land ”

Peppermint Oil – India

Pavitramenthe: putting regenerative agriculture into practice

Peppermint essential oils are the ones we use most—their refreshing properties are what make our soaps and toothpaste so refreshing, and what makes our peppermint soap give us its famous tingle!

Dr. Bronner's uses a blend of oils from two mint species, peppermint (Mentha piperita) and spearmint (Mentha arvensis). Since 2004, both species were produced for us by smallholder farmers in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, 400km west of Delhi. The original project was managed by our UK partner company, Earthoil, before passing to our sister company, Serendimenthe, in 2013. When we became aware of some irregularities in the management in 2015, we decided to close the company and offer four of our employees—talented, motivated, and reliable agricultural engineers—the opportunity to create their own company.

The project now involves over 1,200 smallholder farmers who are converting their crops to organic practices and seeking certification. Their small fields, typically less than 1 hectare, are cultivated using a rotational system, utilizing 2 or 3 different species per year. As a result of decades of intensive cultivation, use of chemical fertilizers, and frequent tilling, the soil was depleted and lacking in organic matter (humus). To help farmers recover their soils and make them more productive and resilient, Dr. Bronner's initiated a comprehensive "soil regeneration" project in 2017. With financial support from the German aid agency GIZ, we acquired a compost turner capable of producing 10,000 cubic tons of compost from a wide variety of agricultural waste. The compost will be sold to farmers for a subsidy supported by the sale of carbon credits. Farmers will also be supported through training, hardware, and seed supply as they shift to conservation farming and planting cover crops and nitrogen-fixing crops such as beans and lentils for sale in the EU. A large-scale planting program for fruit trees, shade trees, and other beneficial species such as neem trees, a natural source of pesticides, is also underway.

Since its formation in 2015, the project has also made great strides in community development. Complementing agricultural projects such as vermicomposting pits, Pavitramenthe has facilitated and funded medical camps, the construction of toilets in homes, and the distribution of water coolers for drinking water. These projects were paid for with the fair trade premium received from Dr. Bronner's, the main customer for this project's organic peppermint oil. Another project aims at developing skills and income opportunities for women. Many women from Bareilly and neighboring communities make saris for local and international markets. The project has worked with women artisans to improve their working conditions, namely better tools and lighting. This skills development, along with the regenerative organic farming techniques training program, is a key element in the global program funded by GIZ.

Palm oil – Ecuador

Natural Habitats: Sustainable palm oil from Ecuador

We use organic palm oil in our liquid soaps and organic sugar soaps to produce a rich and abundant lather.

Palm kernel oil is extracted from the seed of the palm fruit and, like palm oil, is often grown without respect for local communities. For this reason, we have partnered with Natural Habitats to source organic and fair trade palm kernel oil from Ecuador, where farmers sustainably cultivate palm trees and receive a fair price for their fruit. Natural Habitats is committed to environmental practices that protect soils and people and to promoting farming models that ensure economic and social benefits for farmers and their workers.

Sugar – Brazil

Native Green Cane: A regenerative way to grow sugarcane!

Organic and fair trade cane sugar gives our sugar soap a rich caramel color and sweet aroma, and keeps skin nourished, hydrated, and soft. We source our sugar from the Native Green Cane Project in Brazil, one of the largest sustainable agriculture projects in the world.

In accordance with the strictest biological standards, the sugarcane fields are harvested green; they are not burned or treated with pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. The project ensures safe working conditions and health plans for workers, and fair prices for farmers for their harvests.

Ethyl Alcohol - Ecuador and Paraguay

Victor Haroleon, a member of the UNOCACE Cocoa Cooperative in Ecuador, is a partner of the Alter Eco Cocoa Cooperative. Alter Eco is a brand committed to fair trade throughout the supply chain of all its products and ingredients.

Ethyl alcohol is the main ingredient in our hand sanitizers. We partner with CADO in Ecuador and AZPA in Paraguay to source organic, fair trade ethyl alcohol made from sugarcane.

CADO's ethyl alcohol is made from sugarcane grown by small farmers in the steep mountains of the Bolívar and Cotopaxi provinces in Ecuador. Since 2003, the Rural Forestation and Progress Network Corporation has worked with local smallholder farmers, providing appropriate training and technology for organic farming, alcohol purification, and improved environmental practices. They also helped five small cooperatives organize themselves into a consortium, the Organic Sweet Agro-Artisanal Consortium (CADO). CADO pays its members fair prices for organic alcohol and contributes to the fair trade premium that goes to community development projects. More than 250 families now have the opportunity to improve their quality of life without losing their traditions and without harming the environment.

The ethyl alcohol from Azucarera Paraguaya SA (AZPA) is produced by one of the oldest organic sugarcane companies in Paraguay. Founded in 1910 and working directly with its workers, AZPA has over 100 years of experience in the sugar market and has developed innovative programs, such as the country's first reforestation plan. Currently, AZPA has over 800 hectares of reforested areas. AZPA works with two fair trade cooperatives, Cañeros Orgánicos Asociados and Asociación de Productores de Caña de Azúcar de Colonia Independencia, and supports local education and youth projects.