Fair Trade Blog

Everything at Driftless Fair Traders has a story.  I love the way our customers eyes light up when I tell them something special about the item that caught their eye. 

The story of Arghand soap, for example, is well known to you if you have been reading my blog.  It’s a great story, so I plan to tell you more unique stories in the coming months.

Ecology Man definitely has a tale to tell.  Though he is only a couple of inches tall, he has the power to protect whole forests in South America. 

Eco Man (as his friends call him) was born not too long ago at Minga Enterprises.   Minga works with two cooperatives in South America and is always creating useful and sustainable products to sell here in the US.  

As you would expect, Eco Man is sturdy, colorful and very handy.  By day he is a handy keychain, but by night he helps protect the rainforest by giving local farmers an alternative to slash and burn agriculture through fair trade practices.  His arms, legs, head and torso are carved and dyed from durable tagua nut.  Tagua nuts are about the size of a walnut and are collected from palm trees on which they grow.

His favorite hobby is taking care of your keys as long as you let him out once in a while to look after his super hero duties.  

Check him out in our store and look for warm and luxurious Minga clothing in our e-store.

Keep shopping your good values!

Kile