Sidama Coffee Union’s Royal Partnership

Friday, September 3, 2010

Here at TransFair USA, we work not just to certify Fair Trade products, but also to empower Fair Trade producers by supporting their efforts to do business with U.S. companies. As part of this effort, we connect producers to important actors throughout the supply chain. In April, coffee producers from Brazil, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Kenya visited the TransFair USA offices and learned about the American side of the supply chain by visiting coffee shops and meeting influential members of the coffee industry.

Recently, we heard from one of these producers, Tsegaye Anebo. He’s the General Manager of the Sidama Coffee Union, which is based in Ethiopia. The Sidama Coffee Union includes roughly 80,000 small farmers in southern Ethiopia, and its coffee has won awards from groups like the Specialty Coffee Association of America. During Tsegaye’s visit in April, we introduced him to a representative of Royal Coffee. This week, Tsegaye wrote to tell us about Sidama’s successful year and to let us know about the progress of the cooperative’s relationship with Royal Coffee. Royal Coffee has received nine containers of coffee from Sidama, and the company has reported that it is very happy with both the quality of the coffee and the cooperative’s ability to meet deadlines and delivery times.  This is great news for both Sidama and Royal!

Hearing stories like this is one of the best parts of working at TransFair USA. It’s gratifying to see success come from the market linkages that we work to create.

Guest Blog: Weaver’s Coffee & Tea Opens Its First Retail Store and New Coffee Roasting Facility in Marin County, California

Thursday, September 2, 2010

This guest post comes from Renee Brown of Weaver’s Coffee & Tea. We met the Weaver’s team at the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) conference in April, and they were incredibly enthusiastic about promoting Fair Trade.  Thank you, Weaver’s, and congrats on your new retail store!

In 2009, when NBC’s “The Today Show” voted our Organic Blend “Best Organic Coffee” in a blind tasting of 100 coffees, it helped show that a small, artisan coffee roaster can be recognized on a national level for creating delicious Certified Organic and Fair Trade Certified coffee. Weaver’s Coffee & Tea believes that conscientious consumers, along with their hard-earned spending dollars, can unite to promote Fair Trade with the idea that “Every Purchase Matters.” By making responsible purchases and spreading the word, coffee drinkers can literally change the world - one cup of coffee at a time.

Our award-winning, hand-roasted Organic Blend has been turning heads all over the country and is truly a unique creation of Weaver’s Coffee & Tea’s master roaster and president, John Weaver.  The Organic Blend is featured at various charity tasting events across California and at retail coffee tasting events in Whole Foods Markets and other specialty grocery stores.  The Organic Blend always brings a smile to the crowd, and a question or two: Who are you guys?  Where can I buy this coffee?

If you are in the Bay Area, swing by Weaver’s Coffee & Tea’s cool new retail space and roasting facility located at 40 Louise Street in San Rafael, California.  You’ll dig the mellow beauty and quiet vibe and the subtle use of Weaver’s signature green with chocolate browns that all meld together to soothe the mind. A beautiful piece of equipment, Alfred Peet’s original Royal No. 5 coffee roaster, sits just inside the door and pulls you immediately into the place.  This shiny, lovingly maintained antique has a bit of history behind it, as it’s the first roaster that Alfred Peet roasted on in Berkeley in 1966.  John Weaver started to work side-by-side with his mentor, Alfred Peet, in 1980; they continued to work together every day for four years, roasting and tasting coffees and teas. John then went on to spend the next twenty years as master roaster for Peet’s Coffee & Tea.  John left Peet’s to start Weaver’s Coffee & Tea in 2007.

The new Weaver’s Coffee & Tea retail facility is like a dream come true. Not only can you watch master roaster John Weaver work his magic on a 45-kilo Probat roaster, but you can also buy fresh, hand-roasted beans or just have a cup of some of the most amazing coffee you will ever taste. It’s the perfect venue to indulge all of your senses and share your love of coffee and tea.   If you can’t get to the store, you can always check out the photos and “Like” Weaver’s Coffee & Tea on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. You can also watch our exclusive videos on YouTube.  The Weaver’s website has links to all of the social media platforms, plus you can order the coffee online. We also recommend that you sign up for the Weaver’s Coffee & Tea’s newsletter to be kept in the loop on special deals and have a chance to win free coffee!

Choice Organic Teas Introduces New Products That Are “Good for All”

Friday, August 27, 2010

Our friends at Choice Organic Teas have long been pioneers when it comes to doing good. The company was not only the first American tea company to go exclusively organic, but also the first company to offer Fair Trade Certified™ teas in the United States. Now, they continue this great record by teaming up with the Jane Goodall Institute, which was founded by its namesake, the famed conservationist best known for her studies of chimpanzees. The Jane Goodall Institute has chosen Choice Organic Teas to carry its “Good for All” brand on five new varieties of tea, an honor that is based on Choice Organic Teas’ commitment to environmental sustainability and social responsibility.

This is a perfect pairing, as the goals of the Jane Goodall Institute go hand in hand with the mission of Choice Organic Teas. Part of the profits from sales of the teas that bear the “Good for All” brand will benefit the Jane Goodall Institute. The organization’s programs include chimpanzee protection efforts, community programs in Africa and the Roots & Shoots program, which helps young people take action in their communities. As if this weren’t awesome enough, the teas are Fair Trade Certified, so you can support both the Jane Goodall Institute’s environmental initiatives and the quality of life of global producers with a single sip. And those sips will taste good, too–check out these delicious new flavors!

Decaffeinated English Breakfast: This tea, a traditional favorite, is decaffeinated using carbon dioxide, which is the only certified organic method of removing caffeine. It’s perfect for an afternoon break or an evening indulgence.

Oothu Garden Green: This green tea comes from one of India’s first organic and Fair Trade Certified tea gardens. Eco-conscious practices play an especially significant role at this garden because the region surrounding the garden is home to many endangered species.

Rooibos Superfruit: An herbal red tea paired with fruit, this tea is flavorful and refreshing. Like all Rooibos, it’s produced in South Africa’s Cederberg Mountains, and it’s renowned for its many health benefits.

Wild Forest Black: The leaves for this rare black tea come from ancient trees in Southeast Asian forests. For years, these teas have remained a secret of the regions in which they are produced. In recent years, however, non-governmental organizations have encouraged residents of the region to increase distribution of the tea, thus creating an industry that presents an alternative to the illegal drug trade. The resulting beverage is hearty and invigorating.

Yerba Maté Mint: Yerba Maté, which is grown in South America, provides an energizing caffeine boost. This herbal yerba maté tea is blended with peppermint, spearmint and lemongrass to produce a light, pleasant flavor.

Look for these delectable new teas as they hit stores - you’ll feel great knowing that your beverage was produced with the environment and global community in mind. Between organic and Fair Trade certifications and benefits to the Jane Goodall Institute, these teas definitely pack a socially responsible punch.

Kuapa Kokoo Farmer’s Union Elects First Woman President

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

I love to share news about Kuapa Kokoo. That’s because it is truly best-in-class cocoa farmer’s cooperative; its members are part owners of Divine Chocolate. Today we are pleased to share some more exciting news from Kuapa:  Christiana Ohene Agyare has been elected as President of the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers’ Union (KKFU) at the cooperative’s AGM attended by 2,600 delegates in Kumasi, Ghana this month. Ms. Ohene Agyare is the first woman President of the Kuapa Kokoo, which is the major shareholder in Divine Chocolate Inc. She will be heading up an organization which this year bought 28,000,000 tonnes of cocoa from its members, and turned over nearly $50 million across the whole Kuapa Kokoo group.

President PCK Buah hands over to Christiana Ohene Agyare

Ms. Ohene Agyare, a cocoa farmer with an 11 acre farm, served as Treasurer for the last 4 years and as Recorder in her village society. Her election is a testament to the cooperative’s long term commitment to gender equality. Since its inception in 1993 Kuapa has required women’s participation at every level of the organization, from village societies through to the National Executive.

“Divine Chocolate is thrilled to share the news of this historic election with consumers and businesses in America. Cocoa plays an important role in the lives of women cocoa farmers in West Africa and through Kuapa Kokoo and Divine these same women are afforded the opportunity to have a say and an impact in the global industry. Together with women (and men) who love chocolate in America, we will continue to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farming families.” - Erin Gorman, CEO of Divine Chocolate in the USA.

Fair Trade Product of the Week: Numi Organic Tea

Thursday, August 19, 2010

There are a lot of perks that come with interning at TransFair USA, from starting the morning with a mug of hot Fair Trade Certified coffee to snacking on decadent Fair Trade Certified chocolate during meetings. This week, I had the opportunity to take advantage of an especially good perk, which was a trip to the Numi Tea Garden in Oakland to sample some of Numi’s delicious organic and Fair Trade Certified™ teas and talk to the company’s co-founder, Reem Rahim. Reem, who founded Numi with her brother in 1999, let us try four types of Fair Trade tea and gave us the stories behind their production. Watch her introduce her company and the first tea we tried, Aged Earl Gray:

The Aged Earl Grey was delicious, and the natural bergamot added a richness to the tea’s taste. The tea is produced at an organic tea estate in Assam, India, and Fair Trade premium there has been invested in programs like a new school, cooking stoves for families, mosquito nets to protect against disease, and women’s self-empowerment programs.

After the Aged Earl Grey, we tried Ruby Chai, a spiced Rooibos tea. Rooibos is only grown in a certain region of South Africa, and Numi works with South African cooperatives in which workers are partial owners of large Rooibos farms. These cooperatives have used their increased revenue from Fair Trade to support local schools, gender equality programs and HIV/AIDS prevention efforts. Reem told us that the scent of Ruby Chai always attracts passerby, and I could see why after sampling the tea. The combination of Rooibos, vanilla and a blend of spices makes for a soothing, delectable flavor that’s simply irresistible. The tea contains no caffeine, so it’s equally perfect for a relaxing break during the day or a treat before bed. Watch Reem describe the process behind a cup of Ruby Chai tea:

From Ruby Chai, we moved onto Jasmine Green, a unique tea that is made by laying jasmine flowers on top of green tea leaves in order to scent the tea. Thanks to this process, the tea contains hints of fragrance that are subtle rather than overpowering, creating a smooth, light flavor. According to Numi, Jasmine Green “will bring the joy of summer to your every sip,” and drinking the tea certainly made me feel good. It’s making workers in China feel good, too - because of Fair Trade, the producers behind Jasmine Green have earned wages that are 30 to 40 percent higher and have used Fair Trade premium money to fund a school dormitory for children.

We finished our sampling with Gunpowder Green, which contains multiple nutrients and has a low caffeine content. Like Jasmine Green, Gunpowder Green has a completely unique flavor - it’s full-bodied and satisfying in unexpected ways. Watch Reem describe how it’s made and where its unique name comes from:

When our sampling session came to a close, I left the Tea Garden with a bag full of Numi’s Fair Trade Certified teas, and I can’t wait to indulge in these teas at home. Numi tea is available all over the country in places that range from large grocery stores to college dormitories, as well as online. I highly recommend trying some, and if you happen to be in the Bay Area, the Numi Tea Garden is easy to find and is definitely worth a visit. Whether you’re looking for energy in the morning or serenity in the evening, Numi has something for you, and it will taste even better because of the difference you’re making in someone else’s life.

October is Fair Trade Month!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

October is Fair Trade Month.  It is a time to celebrate the incredible impact that Fair Trade has had on the lives of farming families, and to spread awareness of this powerful consumer movement.

Here at TransFair USA, we have a lot up our sleeves, and we are pleased to tell you that Fair Trade Month 2010 is going to be the best yet. There will be hundreds of celebrations across the country, special discounts and promotions on Fair Trade Certified products, and plenty of product giveaways!

This year’s theme is Every Purchase Matters.  Every purchase matters means taking an extra moment to think about the impact your purchases will have - on your own well being, on the people who produce the products and on the environment.  With Fair Trade, every purchase you make has the power to make a difference in the world.

Beginning in October, we’ll unveil a new website where you’ll be able to speak up about which aspect of Fair Trade matters most to you. Is it Fighting Poverty, Protecting the Environment, Building Sustainable Business, Empowering Women or Supporting Education?  Once you’ve voted, we encourage you to share your selection with family and friends online and help spread the word about how Fair Trade is helping people vote with their dollars about issues that matter to you.

Also, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, because each day we will feature fun and easy actions for you and your family to support Fair Trade far beyond your every day purchases.  We will also feature several Fair Trade Month partners each day and highlight their products and their commitment to Fair Trade.  Those partners have been kind enough to donate Fair Trade Certified product, which we pass on to you through dozens of giveaways each week!

As a core Fair Trade supporter, we’d like to fill you in on our Fair Trade Month goals (because we’ll need your help to reach them!).  This year, we’d like to reach:

• 1000 donations for Fair Trade
• 100 new Fair Trade Towns campaigns
• 200 events throughout the country
• 8,000 followers on Twitter
• 60,000 supporters on Facebook

Every purchase matters and every action you take during Fair Trade Month (and beyond) makes a real difference for the world’s farmers.

Dine Out for Fair Trade - Wednesday, August 25th in Oakland

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

If you are already a devotee of Flora, you know the restaurant and bar is the creation of Dona Savitsky and Thomas Schnetz and can be found at the corner of Telegraph and 19th across from Oakland’s renovated Fox Theatre.  This also happens to be TransFair USA’s beloved neighborhood.

Flora’s decor celebrates opulent Art Deco style with high ceilings, a checkered floor, and classic elongated sconces to light your way. The menu offers carefully crafted cocktails and reinvented American classics: sweet pea soup with crisp pork belly or Yukon Gold potato pave with morel mushrooms and summer truffles. We invite you to save your appetite for Flora’s fine food and drink and join TransFair USA at Flora Restaurant and Bar the evening of Wednesday, August 25th.

For every Rosemary Collins you sip or pan-roasted halibut you savor that night, TransFair USA receives 10 percent as a donation towards its Fair Trade work to improve the lives of 1.5 million farmer families in 60 countries across the globe.

As a nonprofit organization, donations to TransFair USA help us keep growing the global Fair Trade network to include more farmer and worker families. Over the last few years, charitable contributions helped us expand Fair Trade in the U.S. to include wine from Chile, honey from Mexico, and roses from Ecuador.

In this spirit, we invite you to dine out for Fair Trade at Flora on August 25th. Dinner 5 - 9:30pm. Planning to join friends? Call the restaurant at 510.286.0100 to book a reservation for six (6) or more.  You can also make a reservation on OpenTable.com.

Help Rebuild Aceh with Your Morning Fair Trade Certified Sumatran Coffee

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Those of us who have heard of Aceh before probably think of the devastating tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands of people in 2004. Aceh was the closest point of land to the epicenter of the massive 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which triggered the tsunami.

Well a year later - in 2005 - the same area started to see a rebirth with the ending of a civil war that had been ongoing for thirty years. Battles between separatists and the government had forced the coffee farmers of the Gayo tribe of Aceh to leave their decades-old coffee farms and flee to safer ground. Only with the end of the war were they able to return home and start farming coffee again, as generations before had done.

Amid such a volatile history, coffee farmers have been looking for stability in the price they get for their coffee, economic support to rebuild their communities, and transparency through to their customer. As a result, the farmers have been joining Fair Trade co-ops in droves, and the co-ops are thriving. Some have even grown 50-100 percent in membership each year.

Recently, the head of Permata Gayo - one of the many coops based in the Gayo region, came to visit TransFair USA’s offices and give us an update on the situation in his homeland.

He told us that his members have embraced Fair Trade, and demand for coffee from the Gayo region is increasing as word gets out about its superior quality. Permata Gayo works hard to continue to produce high-quality coffee by holding monthly quality trainings and attending conferences, and it has received high grades for quality from groups like the Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia.

The Fair Trade premium has helped Permata Gayo’s members rebuild their communities in many ways. For example, co-op members have used premium funds to buy rice to easily feed their families between harvests. One of the cooperative’s most popular uses of the Fair Trade premium is the purchase of weed whackers for the coffee farms. While weed whackers may not seem like a big deal to many Americans, farmers report that the machines reduce the time required to maintain one hectare of land from one month to three days. By saving so much time with the weed whackers, farmers can devote more time to other aspects of coffee production, and they see a huge boost in productivity.

Now that’s a good investment!

Raise a Glass to Fair Trade Wine: 2009 Wine Impact Report

Monday, August 9, 2010

Wine is one of the most popular beverages on the planet - people around the world consume it both on their couches and in swanky restaurants, and entire organizations are devoted to discussing its many varieties. But how many consumers actually think about the work that goes into making a bottle wine?

Wine production is an extremely labor-intensive process, and several unique aspects of the wine industry lead to poor living conditions for many producers. There is a typically a short turnaround time between the harvest of wine grapes and the grapes’ conversion to wine, and the lack of mechanization in the industry makes production time-consuming and strenuous. As a result, even grape farmers and winery workers who have spent decades in the wine business often work in poor conditions and face economic struggles at home.

However, the development of Fair Trade standards for wine (both for hired labor and for small producers in the wine industry) has brought hope to these farmers and workers. TransFair USA began certifying Fair Trade wine in 2008 and saw immediate success, with cumulative U.S. imports of Fair Trade Certified wine reaching 1.7 million bottles in 2009. The current sources of Fair Trade Certified wine in the U.S. are Argentina, Chile and South Africa. Below, we give you a look at how Fair Trade wine is making a difference for producers.

Fair Trade Standards for Wine: Because the wine industry encompasses both small producing organizations and large wineries, there are Fair Trade standards for both sides of the business. Under Fair Trade, large wineries must provide their workers with fair wages, good labor conditions and the opportunity to join unions, and they must comply with health and safety measures to protect workers’ safety. For cooperatives or associations of small producers (who harvest grapes on their own vineyards), Fair Trade standards establish fair prices and mandate equal profit distribution among members. Fair Trade promotes community development that benefits both hired laborers and small producers by paying a premium for every kilogram of Fair Trade Certified grapes sold, and a democratic assembly of the farmers or workers determines how to invest the premium.

What Fair Trade Prices and Social Premiums Do: In 2009, U.S. sales of Fair Trade wine generated almost $115,000 in social premiums for producing communities in Argentina, Chile and South Africa. These communities have put the money to good use. Some examples of projects that communities have developed with social premiums include the building of a community hospital, a women-run coffeeshop, a free health insurance program, the donation of shoes to schoolchildren and a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Furthermore, individuals and families have benefited greatly from increased income and the benefits that cooperatives provide.

“I have been a contratista all my life but income has barely been enough to feed my family. Now we get a guaranteed minimum price for our grapes and help with healthcare and education.” - Omar Algarañaz, a member of the Viñasol cooperative in Argentina

With the Fair Trade wine market expanding (U.S. sales increased fourfold from 2008 to 2009) and new producer organizations becoming Fair Trade certified, Fair Trade wine is poised to make a huge difference in the lives of even more farmers and workers. Plus, a variety of Fair Trade wines have won awards for their quality, making drinking Fair Trade wine a complete win-win. Talk about something worth toasting!

For more information on Fair Trade wine, check out TransFair USA’s 2009 Wine Impact Report.

Fair Trade Product of the Week: mark. Body Care the Cares

Friday, August 6, 2010

mark., Avon’s unique beauty and fashion boutique, is known for its cutting-edge trends and fresh approach to cosmetics and accessories. A line used by fashionistas around the world, mark. is now one of our favorites in the realm of body lotions, balms, creams and cleansers.  We are excited to announce that mark.’s latest  line of body products now proudly bears the Fair Trade Certified label on their sassy pink and green bottles.

The new mark. line consists of four soothing,  hydrating and responsibly sourced body products for your using pleasure. This line of chemical and fragrance free goodies highlights and glorifies the ability of pure, natural ingredients to benefit your body, the environment and all those who took part in their production.

Of mark.’s four Fair Trade Certified products The Big Fix 15-in-1 Benefits Balm is definitely the smallest, but we don’t love it any less! Coming in a conveniently compact tube, this total body product is one balm with BIG benefits - it can actually be used in 15 different ways. Made with Fair Trade Certified cocoa butter, olive oil and vanilla, The Big Fix 15-in-1 Benefits Balm can be used all over the body “to improve everything from chapped elbows and heels, to dry skin, lackluster cuticles and unruly brows.” It can even be used as a lip balm! With its small size and intense hydrating abilities, this new balm by mark. is perfect for traveling deep into the Amazonian rain forest,  across a windy African savanna, or through the busy streets of a Moroccan bazaar. Whether you are trekking across the globe or just leaving the house for work,  we’re sure you won’t want to leave The Big Fix 15-in-1 Benefits Balm behind.

Moving down the line, the mark. Fresh Approach Hydrating Body Cleanser is another product to which we give a giant thumbs up. Made with Fair Trade Certified honey and white tea, this hydrating body cleanser provides a soothing  wash that gives you not only a clean body, but “a clean conscious.” Fresh Approach creates a creamy, luxurious, hydrating lather with every cleanse - it can even double as a shaving cream for your legs.  Being both fragrance-free and allergy tested, this is one cleanser your skin can trust.

Next up is the Do the Right Thing Smoothing Body Lotion SPF 15. Not only is this lotion incredibly light and creamy, it also contains SPF 15 for extra sun protection. Much like the previously described mark. products, Do the Right Thing is also made with a wonderful array of Fair Trade Certified ingredients. Reap the benefits of Fair Trade cocoa butter, honey and hibiscus with this one of a kind moisturizer. By using a product that works to protect not only your skin, but also the well-being of farmers all around the world, you truly are “doing the right thing.”

Last, but certainly not least, there is the mark. Relief Effort Total Comfort Body Crème. In the case of this Fair Trade Certified  cocoa butter, olive oil and chamomile based product, “total comfort” is truly an understatement. A description like “pure bliss,” or “heaven for your skin” would better describe the silky smooth quality of Relief Effort, which provides 24-hour moisturization. With a texture somewhere in between melted butter and sweet whipped cream, this new mark. product leaves your skin feeling softened and renewed.

Here at TransFair USA, we welcome the mark. line into the Fair Trade family with open arms. We are excited to see beauty take a bold step in the direction of social responsibility and environmental sustainability, in such a way that gives people the opportunity to choose Fair Trade beyond the realm of what we eat. So “do the right thing” and take a “fresh approach” to loving your body with mark. and Fair Trade Certified.

All of these products can be purchased online from the mark. website. For the latest mark. news and updates, be sure to become a fan on Facebook.