Frequently asked questions
Camino product certifiers
1. Who is the Organic certifier?
All Camino products are certified by Quality Assurance International (QAI), one of the best-recognized international certification agencies and a global leader in Organic certification. You can find out more about QAI at www.qai-inc.com.
2. Who is the Fairtrade certifier?
All Camino products are certified Fairtrade by Fairtrade Canada, the National Initiative (NI) in Canada for Fairtrade International, formerly known as the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations (FLO), the international certification system. Both certification marks presented on the left are identifiers of the Fairtrade Canada certification on products. The first mark will slowly be phased out and no longer be used by May 2012. The second mark will remain the unique identifier of the Fairtrade Canada certification. Fairtrade Canada is a non-profit certification and public education organization promoting fair trade to improve communities of family farmers. It is FLO’s only Canadian affiliate and works to create and maintain consumer awareness and confidence in fair trade. As our products are Fairtrade certified by Fairtrade Canada, this makes us a licensee of Fairtrade Canada and we are regularly audited.
3. Are all Camino products certified Kosher? Who is the certifier?
Most Camino products are certified Kosher; however, certain products are not (Camino juice). Look for the Kosher logo to ensure a product is certified. The Kosher certifier varies by product. To learn more about Kosher certification by product, you can visit specific product pages under ‘the goods’ tab on our website to find the exact certifier.
Food allergies and intolerances
These questions and answers relate to Camino and Cuisine Camino RETAIL products. If you are a consumer of bulk and/ or industrial Camino products and have any questions on food allergies and intolerances, please contact us by email at info@tasteofcamino.com.
4. What does it mean when there are NO allergen statements following the list of ingredients on your products’ labels?
Very few of our products fit this scenario. This means that the products are produced at facilities where no allergens are present. Camino and Cuisine Camino products that do not have any allergen statements are: Coffee, baking chocolate bars and whole brown sugar.
5. Are there any Camino or Cuisine Camino products which are gluten-free? If so, which ones?
None of the Camino or Cuisine Camino products contain gluten or gluten-containing ingredients. However, we cannot guarantee that they are gluten-free as the majority of the manufacturing facilities with which we work handle gluten-containing products. Although there are procedures in place to avoid the risk of cross-contamination including: very stringent cleaning procedures, regular allergen testing and production schedules which are made keeping in mind the allergens in each facility, we recommend that you read the list of ingredients and allergen statements on the back of the product labels or on our website on ‘the goods’ tab. (Each product’s list of ingredients is published on specific product pages).
Camino and Cuisine Camino products that do not contain gluten or gluten-containing ingredients and are produced at facilities where no gluten is present are: Coffee, juice, baking chocolate bars and whole brown sugar.
6. Are there any Camino or Cuisine Camino products which are vegan? If so, which ones?
Most Camino and Cuisine Camino products are vegan: all 100 g dark chocolate bars (with the exception of the Caramel Crunch bar), 32 g dark chocolate candy bars, Drinking chocolate, Chile and spice hot chocolate, coffee, juice, baking chocolate bars, cocoa powder, golden cane sugar, whole brown sugar (note: our organic sugar is not whitened using bone char), chocolate chips and shredded coconut. While many of these products do not contain dairy ingredients, many of them are produced at facilities that manufacture other products containing dairy. Although there are procedures in place to avoid the risks of cross-contamination including: very stringent cleaning procedures, regular allergen testing and production schedules which are made keeping in mind the allergens in each facility, we recommend that you read the list of ingredients and allergen statements on the back of the product labels or on our website on ‘the goods’ tab. (Each product’s list of ingredients is published on specific product pages).
7. Are there any Camino or Cuisine Camino products which are tree nut-free? If so, which ones?
Many of our products are produced at facilities that handle tree nuts. Although there are procedures in place to avoid the risks of cross-contamination including: very stringent cleaning procedures, regular allergen testing and production schedules which are made keeping in mind the allergens in each facility, we recommend that you read the list of ingredients and allergen statements on the back of the product labels or on our website on ‘the goods’ tab. (Each product’s list of ingredients is published on specific product pages).
Camino and Cuisine Camino products that do not contain tree nuts as ingredients and are produced at facilities where no tree nuts are present are: All hot chocolates, baking chocolate bars, sugars, cocoa powder and shredded coconut.
8. Are there any Camino or Cuisine Camino products which are peanut-free? If so, which ones?
Many of our products are produced at facilities that handle peanuts. Although there are procedures in place to avoid the risk of cross-contamination including: very stringent cleaning procedures, regular allergen testing and production schedules which are made keeping in mind the allergens in each facility, we recommend that you read the list of ingredients and allergen statements on the back of the product labels or on our website on ‘the goods’ tab. (Each product’s list of ingredients is published on specific product pages).
Camino and Cuisine Camino products that do not contain peanuts as ingredients and are produced at facilities where no peanuts are present are: Coffee, juice, baking chocolate bars, sugars, cocoa powder and shredded coconut.
9. Are there any Camino or Cuisine Camino products which are soy-free? If so, which ones?
The only Camino products which contain soy are the Peanut butter, Almond butter and Hazelnut butter chocolate candy bars. Soy is added in this case to give the fillings a smooth and creamy texture. Many of our products are produced at facilities that handle soy. Although there are procedures in place to avoid the risks of cross-contamination including: very stringent cleaning procedures, regular allergen testing and production schedules which are made keeping in mind the allergens in each facility, we recommend that you read the list of ingredients and the allergen statements on the back of the product labels or on our website on ‘the goods’ tab. (Each product’s list of ingredients is published on specific product pages).
Camino and Cuisine Camino products that do not contain soy as an ingredient and are produced at facilities where no soy is present are: Coffee, baking chocolate bars and whole brown sugar.
Fair Trade practices
10. How is Fair Trade different from free market trading?
Fair Trade practices ensure, through a third party certifier, that certain regulations are respected. The differentiating regulation above all else is that Fair Trade ensures guaranteed minimum prices above world market prices that pay a family farmer for an honest day of work. In addition to this guaranteed minimum price, a premium is paid that is in turn used to improve the social conditions in family farmers’ communities such as better plant infrastructure, support services for farmers, schools, hospitals, roads, water and electricity. Furthermore, Fair Trade ensures that there is no forced labour, that family farmers have good working conditions and that they are paid in advance to assist with long-term planning and pre-harvest financing. Fair Trade practices support sustainable farming and the democratic participation in farmer-owned co-operatives.
11. Who are the cooperatives of family farmers with which Camino works?
Camino currently works with 18 co-operatives of small-scale, organic family farmers in 10 different countries: the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, Cuba, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Guatemala and Brazil. You can can visit the 'Family farmers' tab on our website to know more about these co-operatives as well as to learn which co-operative in which country provides ingredients for a specific product.
Sustainable agricultural practices
12. What is organic agriculture?
Organic agriculture means that the ingredients used in Camino products are harvested without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Ingredients such as cocoa and coffee beans are grown in the shade of other trees, often fruit trees. This practice is referred to as ‘shade grown’ and it is an important method in organic agriculture as it helps maintain a sustainable eco-system and the soil remains rich.
13. What is organic processing?
In organic processing, there are no chemical additives used to transform the ingredients into their final product. Products processed organically are free of genetically modified ingredients and artificial flavours. They are also free of ingredients such as corn syrup solids, vegetable oils or chemicals such as dipotassium phosphate and sodium silicoaluminate.
14. What is shade grown agriculture?
Shade grown agriculture works by inter-mixing a crop with shade-giving trees. When used in conjunction with cacao or coffee production, a natural shade canopy becomes an integral part of both protecting species living in cacao or coffee producing areas, as well as ensuring healthy soil. The shade canopy creates a bird habitat that provides a natural form of pest protection and the decomposing foliage from the shade producing trees provides fertilizer for the cocoa or coffee crops.
Environmental sustainability
15. What are the internal wrappers of the 100 g chocolate bars made of?
The inner wrapper that seals in the freshness of our chocolate is made from polypropylene. It uses less energy to create than aluminum foil, even when recycled, and overall is far less polluting than aluminum.
The Co-operative model
16. What is a worker co-operative?
Being a worker co-operative means that our company is owned and controlled democratically by its workers. Membership is open and voluntary and requires that workers invest in the co-op financially and participate in its governance. Worker-owners each have a vote in member meetings, are entitled to run for a position on the Board of Directors and have the opportunity to participate in key organizational decisions.
17. Why is La Siembra a worker co-operative?
We choose to identify with our partner co-operatives of family farmers by adopting the same democratic, participatory and transparent model that they employ.
