Dear Class,
First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to contact Trader Joe's!
We are so pleased that your class decided to write us. We were especially flattered that Mrs. Smith gave you our bags to re-use when you shop with your family.
At Trader Joe's we are always thinking about ways to get better at what we do and how to be better stewards of the earth. Anytime you think about that, it is only natural to think of the rainforests.
The fact of the matter is cocoa beans used to produce not only our items, but other major chocolate suppliers are purchased as a commodity item and will be sourced from a variety of regions including Ghana, Ivory Coast, and other countries in South America. Unfortunately, this means we cannot control as much of the supply line as we would like; and therefore it would be disingenuous of us to make an absolute statement about the harvesting of every ingredient in every one of our products. However, we do work with reputable suppliers (especially for our chocolates) that are committed to pay fair wages for the cocoa beans, committed to operating sustainably so that no further damage is done, being eco minded in the way factories are built and even sponsoring schools (usually primary schools which have kids your age) to ensure that each child has their own textbook for each course.
Beyond that, we also require our suppliers to sign a document called a Master Vendor Agreement. Part of that document says the following
…represent and warrant that the goods sold to TJ's were produced, harvested, manufactured, processed, packaged, labeled, transported, delivered, and sold in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations of the United States of America and all of its subdivisions and, if applicable, the laws of any other country, state, or international governing body… that the goods sold to TJ's were not produced, harvested, manufactured, processed, packaged, labeled, transported, or delivered using forced or prison labor or forced or illegal child labor.
If we ever receive any information that suggests otherwise we will immediately stop doing business with that supplier.
I hope I was able to give you the information you were looking for. If you have another question or concerns please e-mail me back. Also, I visited your class blog and was very impressed at all the things you are learning! I will also put some goodies in the mail for you on Monday and stickers for Valentines Day.
Thanks for reading,
Nicole High
Trader Joe's
Customer Relations
