WHAT IS THE EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT FUND?
Fair trade is more than a certification for Alland & Robert: it's a commitment with the communities we source from. In Chad, this commitment takes the shape of the Equitable Development Fund (EDF), a program we co-fund through our Fair Trade partnership with our supplier, redirecting part of the value of every purchase directly to the people behind our gum arabic: harvesters, collectors, sorters and workers across the supply chain
As part of our Fair Trade partnership with our certified supplier, Alland & Robert has supported the Equitable Development Fund (EDF), a program that redirects part of the value generated by fair trade directly to the people working across the gum arabic supply chain in Chad, between January and December 2025.
About Fair For Life certification
Acacia gum is a sustainable, natural and vegetal additive or ingredient that undergoes no chemical modification, from the harvest to the manufacturing process. Only mechanical transformation is applied to obtain a spray-dried or instant powder, or high-density granules. Both seyal and senegal qualities are available FAIR FOR LIFE certified. Alland & Robert is committed to be the leader of a fair industry that respects human rights and the environment. Certified Fair For Life since 2023, Alland & Robert is pround to expand its FFL gum acacia supply in Chad and Senegal in 2026.
Some figures
Alland & Robert and its partners have allocated 80.6 million CFA francs (approximately 69,500 euros) to the FDE, more than 60% of which went toward the construction of boreholes and the purchase of transportation equipment. A remaining balance of more than 24 million CFA francs (as of May 30, 2026) has already been set aside for future initiatives.
Our role: supporting our producers
Alland & Robert finances the EDF through its fair trade transactions with our supplier, but our involvement doesn’t stop at funding. We take part in the fund’s governance, attending the annual general assembly, most recently on April 20, 2026 in N’Djamena, where beneficiaries themselves decide, in full transparency, how the fund should be used. We work alongside our supplier and La Maison Qualité, which provides technical support to the supply chain, to ensure every project meets real needs on the ground.
For 2025, beneficiaries set four priorities, which we supported end to end: strengthening production capacity and securing stocks, improving living and working conditions, supporting certification renewal, and protecting the environment.
The concrete actions
- Well construction for water access: thanks to EDF funding, seven boreholes were built (including one solar-powered) across villages, improving daily access to water.
- Safer transport & harvesting equipment: we helped fund a minibus and two tricycles for safer worker transport, plus new tools (sticks, funnels) for 250 harvesters across four villages.
- Food security: 68 families in Tobio, Hakki and Beraï received essential food staples (rice, sugar, oil) with EDF support.
- Capacity building: we backed training for 130 people on fair trade requirements and 10 people in first aid.
- Storage infrastructure: a 30-tonne storage facility was built in Massaguet, improving humidity control and protecting the gum from contaminants.