We take responsible sourcing seriously. That doesn’t just mean using high-quality organic and natural ingredients. It also means ensuring that our business benefits the communities we source from. That’s why we partner with local cooperatives like Badely.

Women in rural Mauritania—and throughout the Sahel—are disproportionately affected by poverty and a lack of economic mobility. They often have limited access to education, and the small towns and villages in the region provide few opportunities for employment. With its commitment to providing training and employment for local women, Badely is helping to promote sustainable economic growth around the town of Aleg.

Funding from Toogga and other partners—including the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Poverty Environment Initiative, the UNDP Small Grants Program, and the US African Development Foundation—supports training initiatives for Badely’s members. Since the cooperative’s founding in 2013, the women of Badely have taken part in trainings, which have covered accounting, harvesting practices, and organic certification guidelines.

Participating in these trainings ensures that Badely’s members are experts in the responsible sourcing and processing of desert dates and other products—and that they are able to pass on their expertise to future cooperative members and the wider community