Soon you will be able to view more information on current fair trade products, as well as fair trade stores
and towns in Los Angeles. This is a very exciting time as Claremont, California just became a Fair Trade Town.
Now is the time to show greater support and really make this, “Way of Living,” Reality.
https://www.facebook.com/fairtradeclaremont
CONGRATULATIONS TO CLAREMONT ON BECOMING A FAIR TRADE TOWN
CLAREMONT – The City Council voted on Tuesday to support a resolution of support for the city becoming a Fair Trade Town.
“What does this mean?” asked interim City Manager Colin Tudor.
“The city will receive national recognition, the right to use a Fair Trade Town Claremont USA logo. Businesses who are identified by the program will be listed on the Fair Trade Towns website. We’ll be the first Fair Trade Town in Southern California. It will hopefully attract visitors to the community. Fair trade products are one of the fastest selling in the market.”
Fair Trade is a movement that certifies small producers worldwide have adherence to environmental standards designed to protect the planet, safe working conditions, community development, fair prices and no abusive or forced child labor, Tudor said.
Every certified product sold requires producer organizations have received the minimum fair trade price, Tudor said, while the international fair trade system monitors and audits the product supply chains ensuring producers legally receive the money while workers, producers and local communities benefit.
Tudor said Fair Trade Towns USA are designed to recognize cities meeting five standards:
http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_20477564/claremont-council-approves-resolution-making-it-fair-trade
April 26, 2012
Congratulations to the 14 finalists of “Best in Fair Trade” Awards! Finalists were selected from 46 organizations suggested by 60 public nominations. The public now votes until April 30 to pick 1 winner for each category.
FTRN created the contest since no awards existed to honor organizations across all major Fair Trade recognitions. Winners will be celebrated during World Fair Trade Day in May!
In March, Fair Trade Towns USA sent 12 volunteer organizers on a 7 day learning tour of Fair Trade farms in Dominican Republic. The travelers came from town and city campaigns all over the country to see the effects of their hard work visiting cocoa, coffee and banana farms, as well as a sweat-free apparel factory. This series chronicles the trip through the eyes of a different organizer each day.
This blog post comes to us from Lisa Dunaway of Fair Trade Winter Park
On our final day in the Dominican Republic, the delegation visited COOPPROBATA, a Fair Trade banana cooperative in Azua. This was everyone’s first visit to a banana farm and we had no prior expectations.
When our weary, yet enthusiastic group arrived at the COOPPROBATA offices, we were greeted warmly by several members of the group including: Jorge, the General Manager, Production Manager Luis De La Cruz, Alcedo Beitro of the Technical Assistance Program and Jose Gomez, an engineer in the Certification and Quality Compliance Department. We were welcomed into the bright green building, which was recently purchased by the cooperative, and then guided outside to the backyard where we formed a circle and began our meeting and under the shade of a mango tree.
We started with introductions and then Jorge told us about the history and current state of COOPPROBATA. The cooperative was started in 1994 with 162 producers. From the very beginning, the group cultivated their bananas organically, using no harmful chemicals or pesticides. In 1994 they became Fair Trade Certified and began a series of annual programs to benefit their community. So far, Fair Trade social premiums have allowed COOPPROBATA to fund scholarships for seven students, literacy programs, and educational campaigns in gender equality and anti- child labor. COOPPROBATA has also used the Fair Trade social premiums to pay for necessary surgeries for producer members and members of their local community.
In addition, the cooperative has created environmental campaigns to educate the community about reducing waste, conservation and reduction in deforestation. The leaders of the cooperative feel very strongly about organic cultivation. They reiterated to the group that organic farming protects the people and preserves the planet.
Currently, COOPPROBATA exports bananas only to Europe. Sadly, there is not enough of a demand for Fair Trade or even organic bananas in the United States. Members of the cooperative believe that more education is needed in the United States about the importance of how Fair Trade standards benefit farming for several reasons. For example, there is a myth that organic farming is not necessary for bananas because the thick peel protects the fruit from the harmful chemicals. However, when pesticides are used, they are absorbed into the soil and the roots of the trees, which are the source of nutrients to the fruit. More importantly, harmful pesticides are the cause of severe illness to the producers who work in the fields everyday.
The producers of COOPPROBATA take pride in the safe working conditions for their producers and all of the workers in the processing plant. As we toured the facility and the banana farm we saw safety posters throughout. There were even safety posters attached to trees, deep in the farm to remind workers of the emergency procedures.
Safety posters on the fieldThe farmers have a profound pride in the quality of their bananas. We were carefully guided through the entire process of production, from the beginning when the fruit is just a flower on the tree, to the sorting and cleaning process, all the way to the final fruits being loaded on a refrigeration truck that transports the bananas to the export locations.
Throughout the entire process, our guides explained that quality is very important to their cooperative.
As we prepared to leave, Jose Gomez thanked us for our visit and explained to us that visitors such as our Fair Trade Towns delegation help them and the growers realize that their hard work and sacrifices are being appreciated. Our interest and support help keep them motivated while the Fair Trade market enables them to grow their communities and improve the overall well being of their producers and communities. They believe that only conscience consumers will help this movement grow and encouraged us to visit again.
Fair Trade Claremont is going forward to City Council tonight in the hopes that they can be declared a Fair Trade Town tonight. If you are available it would be good to support the Michon’s and to learn for our other cities! Especially if you are in Irvine, Long Beach or Pasadena!
APRIL 16, 2012
http://www.fairtradetownsusa.org/news/day-5-at-fedecares-the-tastiest-bean/
Ramona demonstrating the coffee cupping and quality tasting process at the FEDECARES Coffee Cooperative’s National Offices
Ramona Cesarina Encarnacion slurps, swishes and spits her 130 degree coffee in a humid, warm room of the FEDECARES coffee cooperative’s national offices in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. Director of the FEDECARES Coffee Lab, Ramona is an agronomist college degree was financed by the education scholarship offered through her family’s membership in the ASOCAEZ Coffee Association.
One of 40 FEDECARES recipients of such educational scholarships funded by Fair Trade social premiums, Ramona gives us our own education on coffee during our Fair Trade Towns visit to the Coffee Lab. She teaches us about “cupping,” the process of determining attributes and qualities of different coffees.
Fair Trade guarantees many things for growers worldwide: a fair minimum price and social premiums, technical assistance, environmental protections, transparent cooperative structures, and no forced child labor. Consumers trust the Fair Trade label to uphold these standards, but there is one major attribute that is not included in Fair Trade Certified products – quality.
Visiting Fair Trade cocoa and coffee cooperatives in the Dominican Republic clearly illustrates that that this is a myth; there are many inherent quality controls in the production of Fair Trade Certified items, and consumers in the US who buy Fair Trade take home delicious, high quality coffee and chocolate that also empowers producers abroad.
Quality control is essential for any business to succeed, and Fair Trade products are no exception. The 7,500 small holder coffee farmers of FEDECARES know this; they will not be able to sell their beans and sustain themselves if the quality of their beans are not the very best. Ramona at FEDECARES knows this, too, and goes so far to request defective samples from rural farmers “to determine ways to improve” the quality of such beans. Indeed, every coffee sample from FEDECARES is cupped by five different expert tasters within the organization before it is sent to the Dominican Coffee Council, a mandatory governmental tasting body for export coffee.
Hector Romero,our tour coordinator at the Grupo CONACADO, knows the importance of good quality, too. We learned about the precise steps CONACADO takes to ensure the best quality cocoa is exported to international buyers. Beans are fermented in 3 separate marked boxes for 72 hours, then moved to huge greenhouses to dry. Updated worksheets are posted on every fermenting box and in every drying room, indicating the particular quality and stages of the beans.
Romero discusses the fermenting boxes. Cocoa beans must ferment in three boxes for 72 hours to fully develop their deepest flavors and nuances.
Romero demonstrates a humidity monitor machine, which tests the drying cocoa beans to ensure they achieve a 7% internal humidity level. He shows us the guillotine, a simple mandolin-like apparatus that cuts into samples of drying cocoa beans to ensure that mold and pests are not problematic. No more than one out of 50 beans can be imperfect, Romero tells us, if more than that, the entire batch drying must be discarded.
Romero holds the “guillotine” apparatus, which tests the drying cocoa beans to ensure quality is up to par: CONACADO discards entire batches of drying cocoa beans if there is any signs of mold or insects.
“Farmers are conscious of the reality,” says Romero. He explains that CONACADO’s 10,000 cocoa farmers know that the quality of their beans directly impacts the amount they can sell. These farmers grow and harvest their beans with this core value in mind. Beans not meeting CONACADO’s quality standards are not sold to Fair Trade cocoa buyers; there is a clearly-marked separate drying facility for these non-Fair Trade beans.
Romero holds the “guillotine” apparatus, which tests the drying cocoa beans to ensure quality is up to par: CONACADO discards entire batches of drying cocoa beans if there is any signs of mold or insects.
Fair Trade farmers and cooperatives in the Dominican Republic monitor and improve the quality of their products at every step of the growing, harvesting, drying and production process. Savvy and intuitive, these farmers know that they must offer the best quality products possible to sell their products and bring in repeat business.
Fair Trade certification guarantees that producers receive economic and social benefits for their products. But consumers can also confidently buy Fair Trade products for the high quality of the products in and of themselves. Just look to Ramona at FEDECARES for this vote of confidence: despite cupping between 10-35 samples of coffee per day for her job at FEDECARES, she loves the taste of FEDECARES coffee so much that she indulges in an additional 8 full cups of the coffee a day.
Kendra Frink of Fair Trade Overland Park, Kansas shares how a living
wage has led to improved lives of workers and their families.
“This is a dream. I am able to buy my kids uniforms and pay for health
insurance.? – Clari, Alta Gracia Employee
link: http://www.fairtradetownsusa.org/news/day-3-alta-gracia-apparel-factory/
APRIL 13, 2012
As we arrive in the community of Villa Altagracia, we make our way to the free trade zone (zona franca) where will visit the apparel factory ofAlta Gracia. Alta Gracia, a brand of Knight’s Apparel, produces collegiate clothing sold in university bookstores. The project focuses on unionized labor and mutual respect between the company and its employees, paying a living wage.
The factory where Alta Gracia is currently located is in a free trade zone. The building was once home to a Korean-based company which produced baseball hats and employed approximately 3000 people. A group of workers at the former factory contacted the Worker’s Rights Consortium (WRC) and United Students Against Sweatshops to create a coalition in order to pressure the company for better wages. They achieved the first bargaining agreement in a Dominican free trade zone. The process of creating the coalition and achieving the bargaining agreement was a great feat and learning experience for the employees; however because of competition with other factories, the company began to lay off workers. Eventually, the plant was shut down in 2007 as the production shifted overseas.
When the facilities shut down, five women sought help and started to build a movement with support from the Worker’s Rights Consortium. The WRC worked with Knight’s Apparel, to initiate the Alta Gracia project. In order to establish a living wage, in contrast to the country’s legal minimum wage in a free trade zone, they conducted studies of the wages necessary for a worker to support a family of five. The group established a wage that was three times higher than the minimum. Knight’s Apparel engaged in open discussions with the workers and collective bargaining rights were respected throughout the process. The Alta Gracia factory opened in the existing free trade zone in April 2010. Currently, Alta Gracia has 135 employees and the monthly wage is approximately RD$20,800/month ($548USD), compared to the legal minimum wage of approximately RD$5900/month ($155USD) and the wages are evaluated every October. The factory completes the sewing, tagging and application of the certification emblem for the clothing.
We had the opportunity to hear stories from Alta Gracia employees describing how working at the factory has positively transformed their lives. Ricardo shared, “I used to work at an electric company. I had to cut power to those who did not pay their bills. I made 7000 pesos (approx. $185USD) per month. I applied to Alta Gracia since I had worked in some free trade zones as a machine operator.” Clari said, “This is a dream. I am able to buy my kids uniforms and pay for health insurance.” Alberto shared, “I have a lot of experience in textiles. I had worked in another free trade zone and heard I could make four times more. Everybody thought it wasn’t true.” Carlotta said, “I used to work at a bakery. I now make more in a week than I used to make in a month. I have bought an acre of land to build a house.” All of the employees shared that they have a much better life working at Alta Gracia.
It was very uplifting to hear how working on this project has impacted the lives of the employees. Being members of a union, they are able to bargain collectively and are respected in their workplace. In Spanish, the term for “living wage” is “salario digno”, and the wages received at Alta Gracia are just that – a dignified salary.
http://www.fairtradetownsusa.org/news/day-3-alta-gracia-apparel-factory/
FTLA supports women in Kolkata, India, who live and work in the Red Light district. They now have gainful employment with a fair wage, health benefits and education. Support these women and FTLA’s education efforts by purchasing one of their beautiful Fair Trade reusable shopping bags. Send an email to fairtradela@gmail.com and let us know of your interest. We are not set up for credit cards so payment will need to be by check. The cost is $20 plus.
Don’t spend your hard earned dollars at the mall, buying overpriced gifts made in countries with no labor or environmental protections!
Shop with a clear conscience at our 6th Annual Fair Trade and Conscious Gifts Holiday Bazaar.
Browse through a wide selection of hand-made goods made either internationally with fair-trade standards, or locally by LA-based artists.
There will be jewelry, purses, pillow covers, and more from Afghanistan, as well as books, T-shirts, candles, soaps, oils, handicrafts, and much much more!
Click here to view our new inventory of hand-made gifts from Afghanistan: http://tinyurl.com/6ruauvq.
These items are made in RAWA’s income generation projects. They include gorgeous necklaces with inlaid semi-precious stones, earrings, bracelets, purses, keychains, mirrored keepsake boxes, novelty keychains, and more!
Download the flyer here: http://www.afghanwomensmission.org/graphics/local/holiday_bazaar_2011.pdf
Entrance is Free. There will be complementary hot coffee and tea plus delectable cookies and pastries!
Visit www.afghanwomensmission.org for more information.
