Our products are made entirely of natural ingredients, 64 natural ingredients to be precise. 64 different fruits, nuts and seeds, and we see this as 64 opportunities to make a positive impact - be that socially or environmentally (extra points when it can be both!).

Sourcing our ingredients through fair and transparent supply chains has always been a core goal for Sweet & Wild. However, finding suppliers who align with our values can be challenging, which is why we were so excited when Hodmedod's got in touch back in February of 2024 to tell us about the Brazil nuts they were bringing to the UK from the Kayapó via the Solidarity Trade System.

"Eat Nuts / Support the Kayapo / Save the Forest"

Hodmedod's are huge advocates of direct-trade networks, knowing that short supply chains ensure that famers and growers are compensated fully for their work. In this case however, this short supply chain also helps to create a sustainable income stream and the financial autonomy necessary for the Kayapó to preserve their culture and Indigenous rights. That's why their website reads "Eat Nuts / Support the Kayapo / Save the Forest".

What is the Solidarity Trade System?

The global nut supply-chain is often rife with social and environmental injustices, where producers are paid unfairly and ecosystems are exploited. The Solidarity Trade System was created to combat this and, ‘“disrupt the exploitative global supply chain by fostering transparency, values, and respect”’! 

The Landworkers' Alliance, Roddick Foundation, Hodmedod's and Kayapó-led cooperative COOBÂ-Y came together to create the Solidarity Trade System. It has been created to ensure that the Kayapó people are paid properly for their work in both harvesting the nuts and caring for the Amazon rainforest.

Who are the Kayapó?

The Kayapó live in the southeastern part of the Amazon, and are guardians to over 9 million hectares of rainforest (roughly the size of Iceland). The rainforest has been subjected to illegal logging and other destructive practices, with this environmental harm further exacerbated by droughts and forest fires. 

The Kayopó have tended to the land for generations and are experts at doing so. Through paying the Kayapó people directly for their harvests, their work is supported in a sustainable way supporting both their livelihoods and care of the rainforest. Ensuring that the Kayopó people can continue to protect and care for the land is more important than ever. 

Why these Brazil nuts are different

The Amazon Rainforest is the most bio-diverse area on Earth. The nuts themselves are therefore packed with nutrients that you wouldn’t get in conventionally farmed nuts, especially ones that use pesticides or herbicides - if the nutrients aren’t in the soil, they aren’t in the product! 

The Kayapó people hand-harvest the Brazil nuts from the wild trees, taking what is ready to pick and leaving the rest. Through harvesting these wild nuts in this sustainable way, they are working in union with nature instead of contributing to the global problem of  soil degradation, which conventional farming methods tend to do.

Every penny you spend is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in… 

Through supporting the Solidarity Trade System, we are using our buying power to support practices which foster the planet’s health and people’s autonomy. Remember - every penny you spend is a vote for the type of world you want to live in.

Find out more about the Solidarity Trade System and its partners here.

- Written by Patsy Mulcahy