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Another face of China: fair trade candied ginger

Published on Oct 30, 2020 (Updated on May 20, 2024)

Un autre visage de la Chine : le gingembre confit équitable

Our brand new product, fair trade and organic candied ginger, grows in the Fujian region of China. Ginger has been cultivated in China for more than 3000 years, following a thousand-year-old tradition. Distributing a Chinese product at the moment might seem like going against the grain… but Umano isn't used to going with the flow!

Ginger farmers live in a mountainous rural area, very different from China's large, crowded urban centers. Umano wants to show another face of the country that we generally know little about. A rural region with an ancestral culture, populated by women and men who take care of their environment and who aspire to a simple and peaceful life.

Organic and fair trade ginger grower in China

Umano ginger is produced with respect for the environment and workers, far from the plastic trinkets of dollar stores made in China. Our product is certified organic by Ecocert and fair trade by Fairtrade, which ensures compliance with the highest standards in terms of eco-responsibility and fair trade. Fair trade certification allows the association to receive an additional sum of 15%, which allows them to finance development projects.

The French company Filéane imports candied ginger directly from producers. She made a video that shows us the faces of those who grow and process ginger.

Superior quality confectionery

Farmers grow a variety of Taiwanese ginger, which is less pungent and more citrusy than the common ginger most grown in China. They harvest the ginger rhizomes while they are still young, so that the final product is of better quality. The ginger is then less fibrous and more tender, but the yield is lower, since the rhizomes are smaller.

After harvesting, we wash, peel and cut the ginger. It is then cooked in water and sugar to preserve it. It is finally dried and rolled in cane sugar. It's the sugar added in the process that softens the tangy taste of ginger. The result is a very aromatic candied ginger, which is eaten like a treat. It will also be delicious integrated into desserts such as gingerbread, cakes or other biscuits.

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