"The world will get to know us!"

During a visit to the village of Guilmaro, Benin, I then had an interesting conversation with the cashew producer Amadou Moumouni:

“The Fair Trade certification is interesting because there is a premium for the community. We live in a region without drinking water. Such problems can be solved with the premium. This results in increased visibility for the cooperative and thus also attracts potential new members. The certification forces us to adhere to our own rules in the statutes and in the internal regulations. It is very important to meet regularly, maintain the meeting rhythm and respect the texts. That then becomes a new habit. Humans are inherently lazy and therefore need a certain pressure and impetus to do something.”

“Innovation is a good thing. In the group there is a certain pressure to also apply newly learned things. If a member does not participate properly, it is a shame for the whole group. We want to be at the level of the world market. We want to move forward and show our visitors that we take our work seriously. If we do not do that, no one will visit us. We are proud of visits from abroad. We are something special in our cooperative and visible to everyone. The world will get to know us.”