Naperville, IL – December 10, 2019 — KeHE is proud to announce its new class of 2020 CAREtrade® partners. CAREtrade®, founded by a passionate group of KeHE employees in 2017, identifies and promotes a set of brands that advance a higher purpose than commercial success, aligning with the natural & organic, specialty and fresh distributor’s dedication to service.

“These partners exemplify a passion for serving for a greater good through their environmental and humanitarian causes,” said Ari Goldsmith, Vice President of Marketing and CAREtrade® co-founder. “KeHE’s like-minded values are rooted in our mission of serving to make lives better. We’re proud to celebrate suppliers through this core initiative that supports brands who align with our purpose; to use business as a force for good.”

KeHE is delighted to share our CAREtrade® Partners for 2020 and their impactful stories:

• Argania, a producer of authentic Moroccan Argan Nut butters, provides fair wages to over 500 Berber women that work in female-run cooperatives in Morocco. This income propels the social status of the women and the cooperatives allowing them to escape the isolation they otherwise face. In addition, Argania invests 5% of their profits directly back into the cooperatives to help support the women, their families and the communities in which they live.
• Project 7 is dedicated to seven important causes: saving the earth, housing the homeless, feeding the hungry, providing clean drinking water, healing the sick, supporting education and hope for peace with anti-bullying campaigns – through the sales of their specialty gum and candy. Their company mandates a minimum of 10% of annual profits, but historically, they have given upwards of 30-50% of profits to these causes. They believe little purchases, when added up, can pull people together and make life-changing impacts.
• Beyond Good, formally Madécasse, works directly with cocoa farmers in Madagascar to help them grow premium heirloom cocoa for their chocolate products. They ensure their cocoa farmers prosper with their Direct Trade and made-at-the-source mission and support local community projects such as water wells and refurbishing schools. In 2020, Beyond Good’s goal is to produce 3 million chocolate bars, which support their mission of producing as much chocolate at the source as possible.
• Equal Exchange was the first Fair Trade coffee company in the U.S. and has worked for over 30 years to increase compensation, accessibility, and equality for the small-scale farmers where they source their products. In addition to fair prices, Equal Exchange coordinates funding for dozens of on-farm projects, which collectively generated more than $5 million in additional income for farmers over the past eight years.
• Rumi, an American veteran-run spice company, partners with Afghan farmers to bring sustainably farmed and unadulterated spices to the global market. They work directly with over 300 farmers in Afghanistan and plan on expanding their reach to other war-torn countries bringing international flavor to U.S. consumers. In just two years, Rumi has seen output from their existing partners double and triple, while new farmers have asked to join their growing network.

Past CAREtrade® suppliers, with KeHE’s support, have experienced 11% total U.S. growth together. This totaled $3 million in the last year according to IRI/SPINS. KeHE’s 2019 class consists of Bhakti, This Bar Saves Lives, NuttZo, World Centric, and The Soulfull Project. The 2019 partners will continue in the program and serve as mentors to the new member organization. 2018 CAREtrade® Partners Mavuno Harvest, the Real Co, Dignity Coconuts, Tony’s Chocolonely, and Tanka will graduate the program at the end of 2019.

About KeHE
With its nationwide distribution network, KeHE provides natural & organic, specialty & fresh products to chain and independent grocery and natural food stores and other specialty product retailers throughout North America.  KeHE is an employee-owned, B Corporation certified, company with over 5,000 employees in the U.S. and Canada. Where KeHE Goes, Goodness Follows.®  For more about KeHE, visit KeHE.com or check out our social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, & LinkedIn.