Wheatsville Food Co-op mural raises awareness about fair trade

AUSTIN, Texas - Wheatsville Food Co-op has unveiled a new mural to help raise awareness about fair trade during Fair Trade Month.

The mural along Guadalupe Street was commissioned by nonprofit Fairtrade America and done by artist J. Muzacz.

Three women who run cocoa cooperatives in Africa and help produce Tony's Chocolonely bars are depicted in the mural.

Muzacz says he feels there's a responsibility as a public artist to "have a message in our work." He says he personally can relate as well as he has worked on farms and understands "first hand the hard work that these women are doing day in and day out." 

It took Muzacz and two friends about a week to paint the 1,000 square-foot mural.

Marketing Director with Wheatsville Nick Conn says, "What I ultimately want people to say when they see the mural is to say is why is Wheatsville putting these three women up? What is fair trade? Why are they fighting poverty one farmer at a time? Because that's what's really important for fair trade, is the education around it."

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