Fair Trade Peanut Butter, What’s the Story?

We often get questions about where our peanut butter comes from. Is your peanut butter fair trade? What about the working conditions of the peanut farmers who grow the peanuts? You might already know we’re happy there are plenty of peanuts grown around the world! As a farmer’s son, I understand how farming works here in the Netherlands and parts of Europe, but beyond that, my knowledge is limited. So, I decided to do some research and explain how things really are with our peanuts - and others, too.

Argentina

Our peanuts come from Argentina. We’ve tried many types of peanuts and peanut butter, and we think Argentine peanuts (the kind we use is called “runner”) are by far the best for peanut butter. It’s like coffee or chocolate - different varieties from different countries give different flavors.

Our peanuts come from a cooperative of peanut farmers in Argentina. Farming there is very advanced - it’s modern agriculture with large fields and big machines. The average farm in Argentina is about 750 hectares (that’s huge!). This is very different from peanut farms in Asia or Africa, where farms are much smaller - usually between 1.5 and 2.5 hectares.

Small farmers in Africa and Asia often face many challenges. They may not have secure land rights, access to good-quality seeds, or natural resources. This often leads to small harvests and poverty, which can cause poor working conditions. So it’s natural to wonder whether the peanuts we use come from good sources.

Luckily, this is not the case for all peanuts. Peanuts from Argentina meet high standards for working conditions and provide a good income for farmers. So you can enjoy our peanut butter with a clear conscience!