I hadn’t heard about Equitrade until recently, but it’s a pretty smart idea.  It’s all about keeping as much of the production, manufacture, packaging and design of products in the country of origin so that local suppliers in poorer countries keep more of the cash value of the brands they help create.  There’s a Preston-based company called Malagasy Foods who make their bars of chocolate in Madagascar – as opposed to just buying the cocoa at a Fair Trade price and paying money to less needy British manufacturers, packagers and designers to turn the cocoa into a chocolate brand.  I wonder whether we could offer our design skills to growers, farmers and manufacturers in poorer countries to help them create and sell brands as opposed to just selling raw materials.  Malagasy reckon that only 5p of the £1.70 cost of a 100g bar of chocolate goes to the cocoa producers under Fair Trade, but a much bigger percentage of that money stays in the poorer countries with Equitrade. We wish Malagasy chocolate well and when you come across it, be sure to buy a few bars.