The term 'short chain' is probably something you're hearing more and more often. And thankfully so: if you ask us, it's very important that more attention is paid to this term and the impact a short chain can have.

What is a food chain?

A food chain is the number of links a product goes through between producer and consumer. The farmer harvests a product, and what happens before it lands in your kitchen? In most cases, you don't buy directly from the farmer, so there are links and parties in between. Wholesalers, distributors, brands that package it, stores, you name it. Many different links can be found, and all these links want to earn a margin on the product. And as a consumer, you don't want to pay more than necessary, right? So what usually happens? The margins are taken away from the producer; the farmer only receives a fraction of the amount you ultimately pay for the product.

The more links a food chain has, the more problems can arise. Transparency disappears. The number of food miles increases. More waste is produced, and local producers do not earn a fair wage.

The cinnamon chain

Let's take the cinnamon chain as an example. Cinnamon naturally comes from Sri Lanka, but also grows in India, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, and even in certain parts of Africa and South America. It certainly doesn't grow at the farmer next door. Cinnamon needs a warm and humid climate. Cinnamon is essentially the bark of a tree. To harvest it, the bark must be scraped off the tree.

Next, the cinnamon is dried. Most farmers do this themselves. Some farmers have it processed by another party. That's already the first link in the chain. After drying, the cinnamon still needs to be ground and sorted. And then it's packaged, sorted by quality.

Then it goes to wholesalers and distributors. After that, spice companies often buy it again from a wholesaler, after which they package it in their own packaging. Those packages then go back to stores. Sometimes also back to wholesalers. Where stores buy it to sell it. So that you, as a consumer, can ultimately buy a jar of cinnamon in the supermarket.

On average, the cinnamon chain has eight different links. Before the cinnamon reaches the supermarket, it has often already been traveling for two years!

Meanwhile, many 'dodgy' things often happen within the chain that consumers are unaware of. Stores want to sell products with as stable a quality as possible. That's why they sometimes mix harvests with older harvests to create an 'average taste.' Or they mix harvests from, for example, Sri Lanka with cheap production from China to reduce costs.

With all the different links, there is no transparency for you as a consumer as to where your cinnamon actually comes from. Just look at the jar from the supermarket: is there a country of origin mentioned? And do you have any idea which farmer harvested your cinnamon? Does that farmer receive a fair price? Is the farmer encouraged to work without chemicals and want to keep the earth and plants they work with healthy? We simply all have no idea.

Why it's important to shorten food chains

Promoting local autonomy

Conventional trade chains are heavily reliant on complex global networks, making them vulnerable to, for example, political instability or pandemics. Short trade chains, on the other hand, offer a more decentralized approach, giving communities more control over their income. Large intermediaries often have a lot of power and are very money-driven. They determine the price farmers receive, whereas farmers should be determining the value of their product. They should earn at least a living wage.

Reduced environmental impact

Traditional trade chains often involve long transport distances, resulting in higher carbon emissions, pollution, and energy consumption. Short chains, however, prioritize local sourcing and regional distribution networks, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of transport. By minimizing the distance between producers and consumers, these chains contribute to ecological sustainability.

Quality control and transparency

With fewer intermediaries involved, consumers can have greater confidence in the origin, production methods, and overall quality of the products they purchase. By fostering direct relationships between producers and consumers, short chains promote transparency, allowing customers to make informed choices and support sustainable initiatives. Furthermore, local producers have the opportunity to receive direct feedback, leading to continuous improvements in their offerings.

Reducing (income) disparities

By prioritizing local production and consumption, these chains strengthen regional economies, create employment, and stimulate entrepreneurship. As money circulates within the community, local businesses thrive, resulting in a stronger economic base. Short chains enable farmers and producers to connect with the people behind their purchases, fostering a sense of community and supporting the unique characteristics and heritage of the region. Increased transparency in the chain also exposes problems more effectively, allowing for solutions to these problems to be worked on throughout the entire chain.

The supply chains of The Good Spice

Since the time of colonization, we have imported many spices from tropical countries. Over time, spice chains have become long and complex. This is not surprising, as setting up short chains is not easy at all. You have to maintain relationships with farmers who are far away. In addition, you have to deal with all the hassle that comes with importing products yourself. It is clear: if you want to sell spices, it is much easier to buy them from a wholesaler and then package them in a nice jar.

However, we do not change this system by doing so. That is why we keep the chains as short as possible. Sometimes we work directly with a farmer (as in Hungary), but mostly we work with a cooperative or community. The spices from several small farmers in the area are then collected. They all come from the same region, are processed in the same way, and have the same quality. We import these spices directly and package them from bulk to consumer packaging. Food producers and consumers can then purchase the spices directly from us. We provide all feedback and input we receive to the partners we work with. We also always pay a fair price, which is well above the market price.

Buy The Good Spice's spices, and you will also contribute to building a short spice chain and transforming the spice trade into a transparent, sustainable, and fair trade.