Blog
-
Peter BuckJune 6, 2016Categories:Catholic Relief Services and Equal Exchange both collaborate with farmer partners to foster the development of their communities, combat the effects of climate change and counter the coffee rust plague and other diseases affecting coffee trees.
-
Sara FioreMay 25, 2016Categories:Coffee is the secret ingredient of many productive workplaces, and having it available at the office is a perk for everyone. But if you're just getting started with a coffee setup, it can be hard to know what type of brewer is right for your office. Don't feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options out there! Here, we'll break down the most common types of brewers so you can figure out what's right for the size and general habits of your office.
-
Phyllis_RobinsonMay 23, 2016
The following post was written by Daniel Fireside, Equal Exchange Capital Coordinator
What do interest rates have to do with the price of coffee? Why do we care and who decides these things anyway?
As many of you know, coffee is a commodity and as such, is traded on the stock market. The Fair Trade system broke from the New York “C” market and set up its own, higher prices. Direct relationships allow producers to negotiate contract prices with their buyers. -
Phyllis_RobinsonMay 17, 2016
“I Support Fair Trade,” says the banner. World Fair Trade Day isn’t just celebrated here in the North. All over the world, small farmer organizations also celebrate World Fair Trade Day at fairs, festivals, and other events. Last Friday, Brenda Ceren, of Aprainores and Eduardo Murcia, Treasurer of Aprainores’ Board of Directors joined small farmer coffee farmers at a Fair in San Salvador, sponsored by Fairtrade International and the Latin American Coordinating Body of Fair Trade Producers.
-
Phyllis_RobinsonMay 17, 2016
Call for Solidarity with the small farmers’ organization, NORANDINO
(Piura, Peru)
Last March 23, NORANDINO was decertified abruptly by the fair trade certification body FLO-Cert.
NORANDINO is member of FUNDEPPO, Foundation of Organized Small Producers; the organization behind the SPP (Small Producers’ Symbol).
NORANDINO, formerly known as CEPICAFÉ, is an organization with a history of twenty years as a pioneering and exemplary organization of small fair trade producers in the area of Piura, Peru. -
Phyllis_RobinsonMay 11, 2016
I’m on my way to El Salvador and Honduras to visit our cashew co-op partners. Sadly, we got word last week that “unseasonable” rains and winds have destroyed 75% of this year’s cashew crop and the co-op in Salvador (Aprainores) has had to shut down their processing plant after just two weeks; laying off the 60 or so women whose income depends on the plant. Instead of the 60,000 or so pounds of cashews that Aprainores was planning to export this year, they will export nothing.
Very sad indeed. -
Phyllis_RobinsonMay 6, 2016
Photo by Kai Horstmann
Dear Tea Drinkers, -
Phyllis_RobinsonMay 5, 2016
In honor of World Fair Trade Day, our friends at the Fair World Project have created this excellent 4-minute video that tells the story of authentic fair trade: what it’s about; why it’s important to support organized small farmer co-operatives; and how we, consumers-citizens, can begin to take back our food system.
-
Phyllis_RobinsonApril 27, 2016
On March 3, 2016, environmentalist and human rights activist Berta Cáceres was murdered in her home in Honduras. Berta was internationally recognized for her leadership in opposing a World Bank-financed dam project that would have devastated the lands where she and other indigenous Lenca people live. In 2015, she was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize.
-
Phyllis_RobinsonApril 22, 2016
Riobamba, Ecuador
Mexico City, Mexico
April 20, 2016THE SMALL PRODUCER SYMBOL (SPP) & THE ECUADORIAN COORDINATOR OF FAIR TRADE ORGANIZATION EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF ECUADOR