How gebana works
We commit every day to fairer trade. How does that work? What does gebana do and why do we need you?
For us at gebana, fairer trade means that farming families earn a better income than they do today; that there are local jobs and the local economy works; that we protect the environment.
In the video below you can see how we want to achieve these goals with your help.
We are doubling our impact!
On the occasion of our double anniversary in 2023 - 50 years of banana women and 25 years of gebana - we promised all our customers that we would double our previous impact at the origin. But we don't want it to take another 25 years, we want to do it as quickly as possible.
Below you can find out specifically where we will double our impact.
Family farmers
Today, we work with approx. 11'000 family farmers throughout the world. Most of them live in Burkina Faso and Togo. These families benefit from purchase guarantees and pre-harvest financing and are supported through certifications, training and premiums. If we succeed in doubling the number of family farmers, we'll also double our impact and improve local production and working conditions. This in turn will ensure that small-scale farming structures are maintained, and that people can earn a living from their work.
Organic farmland
Today, the family farmers we work with throughout the world today grow their fruit, nuts and vegetables in an area half the size of the canton of Thurgau or the city state of Berlin. This area uses organic production methods to produce plenty of delicious food while increasing biodiversity, improving soil and water quality and generating more income. These are all good reasons to convert more acreage into organic farmland. Our target: 87'200 hectares. Or, to put it more simply, an area equal to the whole of Thurgau or all of Berlin!
Premiums
In 2022, we paid a total of EUR 1.6 million in premiums to family farmers. This represents 13 % of the Fairtrade premiums in the whole of Switzerland! In addition to the Fairtrade premiums, we also make solidarity contributions, such as those for the olive oil from Palestine. But the payout from our gebana model accounts for most of the money: 10 % of the sales price of a growing number of products in our online shop goes back to the family farmers, in addition to the organic and fair purchase price. Our goal is to raise this amount to at least EUR 3 million as soon as possible in order to improve the income of even more family farmers in the long term. Thanks to our sharing approach, we'll get there.
Jobs
Today, around 850 people throughout the world work for gebana, over 90 % of them in countries like Burkina Faso or Togo. These countries are among the poorest in the world. Steady jobs provide people with a regular income, a pension and health insurance. This benefits not only employees but also entire families. If we double the number of jobs in the next few years, it will have a positive impact on several thousands of people. An important tool for getting there will be our new mango and cashew processing factory in Burkina Faso.
Illustrations: Jules Guerin