TAZA Fair Trade Chocolate Ice Cream

How do you spell humidity in Durham, NC?

S-U-M-M-E-R

Yep. Summer is here, and that means humidity. Here at One World Market, we are pretty positive that there is only one REAL cure for humidity:

Ice Cream!

We love hitting up Ben and Jerry’s on Broad Street. We love the support that Ben and Jerry’s gives to Fair Trade farmers and growers. All of their ingredients like sugar, vanilla, bananas, and cocoa are sourced through the Fair Trade market. Not to mention it’s just plain delicious!

However, since summer is a…..long season here in Durham, we also like to mix it up by making some frozen treats at home!

We’ve made several batches of this Taza Recipe in our Ice Cream Machine at home:

and it is out of this world tasty!

TAZA Chocolate is produced in the Dominican Republic. They partner with La Red Guaconejo, a cooperative of small-scale cacao producers in the northern part of the country, and with an independent organic farm called Hacienda Elvesia, which known for its exceptional fermenting and drying facilities.

All of the chocolate is stone ground, which is a minimal process for chocolate. This gives the chocolate an incredible texture and flavor. TAZA also keeps it simple with additives, keeping the chocolate super pure. This also makes their chocolates naturally gluten free!

Impress your friends and family with this super simple but incredibly delicious Fair Trade ice cream! They’ll think you’re an Ice Cream Pro!

And while you’re at it…bring a scoop or two to One World Market!

Easy Gifts that Keep Giving

This summer, we here at One World Market seem to be getting lots of folks looking for housewarming and hostess gifts.

We love putting together impromptu gift baskets, and thought it would be fun to feature a few of our favorites here on the blog!

Baker’s Delight: Whether it’s a gift for a home cook or a professional chef, anyone who enjoys baking would love this gift! Fair Trade Madagascar Vanilla from Madécasse, paired with cool blue napkins handmade in Bali, a utensil set hand-carved from sustainable acacia wood, all nestled inside an all purpose white-washed bamboo bowl.

Every item tells a story at One World Market, but we love the story behind our new vanilla! Not only does Madécasse support Fair Trade farmers who grow and harvest the vanilla bean, but they also produce and package their product in Madagascar! This provides 4 times the impact of traditional Fair Trade practices.

Tea Lover: The perfect gift for the tea lover in your life! Choose an Organic, Fair Trade tea and pair it with a beautiful handmade, Fair Trade mug! We love this blue and white stunner from Vietnam, handmade and hand painted! To round off the gift, add in a hand-carved mango wood owl trivet from India, perfect for a tea kettle.

Borrowed from an idea we saw on Pinterest, you can take a great gift like a cookbook and make it truly memorable:

By wrapping it in a tea towel! You can even spice up the package by adding salad servers!

We love gift wrapping in tea towels not only because it’s super cute, but it’s also sustainable and simple! Seriously, no cutting, taping, or trash! And it only takes 30 seconds! See below:

Also cute in a tea towel:

a nice bottle of wine! The tea towel above is handmade in Ethiopia out of Organic, Ethiopian Cotton. So soft!

This tea towel comes from an artisan group, Creative Women, that supports 65 artisans living in Ethiopia. Starting with only 5 weavers, One World Market is proud to be a part of a growing success story for the women in Ethiopia!

So whether it’s a hostess gift, a housewarming present, or just a small token of gratitude, giving a Fair Trade gift is always the way to go!

Sseko Sandals–Sharing a Ugandan Woman’s Dream

It’s safe to say, that One World Market staff and volunteers have completely fallen in LOVE with Sseko sandals!

And what’s not to love? It’s a sandal that can be completely customized! From changing the strap color to how you tie the straps, you can really make these sandals a reflection of your own personal style.

But what really made our staff fall in love, were the stories of the artisans that Sseko sandals support.

Sseko employs recent secondary school graduates for the nine month gap between secondary education and college, to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly towards their university education. 

These women will not make sandals forever. They will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war.

Sseko has graduated three classes of these superstar women, which is something to celebrate!

 

Adding to that celebration, the fact that EVERY woman who has graduated from Sseko is currently pursuing her college degree.

In addition to their university-bound team, Sseko also employs a full-time team of women from all walks of life. 

By creating an environment of dignity, honor, creativity and dedication, Sseko Designs provides the opportunity for women in East Africa to end the cycle of poverty and create a more equitable society.

Sseko sandals give us the opportunity to help support those women. The smiling faces featured above, and so many more.

We get to tell those women that we believe in them. We believe in education for everyone. We want them to succeed.

We do that by buying their beautifully constructed, handmade leather sandals.

With every flourish of our straps. With every tie, and knot, and bow, We are sharing their dream. We are supporting access to education around the world. We don’t just give money in exchange for goods, in exchange for sandals. We give hope. We give success. We give change.

And you know, that is so much bigger. And stronger. And more important, than a pair of sandals.

But…we also really LOVE the sandals! Which makes supporting these amazing Ugandan woman all the easier!