Working together for ethical sourcing!
Pâtisserie and desserts very often use ingredients from all over the world such as cocoa, vanilla and sugar, but also tropical fruits. Often grown in developing countries, it can be difficult to know exactly where these products come from and how they are grown.
However, ethical businesses have to be able to explain where their ingredients come from and how they were produced, as well as ensuring that they support producers’ economic development all around the world. This is the case with Valrhona, 100% of whose cocoa beans are traced from producers, so we know where the cocoa comes from and who harvested it, and that it was ethically produced.
Support Global Farmers
Of course, there are plenty of products that can’t be sourced locally, especially any tropical ones which only come from equatorial regions. Often grown in developing countries, it can be difficult to know exactly where these products come from and how they are grown. This is why it’s important for a company to know the origin of what goes into its recipes but also to buy in a way that supports producers’ economic development all around the world.
This is the approach adopted by Amy Brown, culinary director at Frankie & Jo’s, an ice cream shop in Seattle, USA. A vegan ice cream specialist, her vision goes far beyond making ice cream. She is committed to continually sourcing the highest quality products and services and to innovating, surprising people and thinking outside the box so that she can take her work to the next level.
The ice cream at Frankie & Jo’s is made from coconut milk. As this can’t be sourced locally, Amy is in constant conversation with her suppliers so she can get a comprehensive overview of the supply chain. She prioritizes this deeper understanding across all the ingredients in her recipes. This approach also gives her a great way of sharing stories with her customers:
We can them tell what prompted us to use a particular ingredient, and report back on all the details our suppliers shared with us about where it came from.
