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January 2009
A Cooperative Coffees e-Newsletter for and about Fair Trade
Issue No. 8 January 2009
In this issue..
Reach out!
Now that we've all safely returned from a few days or weeks of holidays, time with friends and family, and (hopefully) an opportunity to toss up our feet and take a deep breath, it's time to get back to work! We have a lot to look forward to this year. We welcome a new Board of Directors and can't wait to see what this dynamic group will do for Cooperative Coffees over the next term! There's also a whole bunch of exciting activities and events planned by Fair Trade organizations and allies -- be sure to check out the events listing for more information.
Before fully launching into the new year, we'll also take a look at some of the news that led up to the holidays: roaster-member Bongo Java hosted a holiday concert to raise funds for a fun Christmas fiesta for the children of producer group ACOES. FEDECARES was praised for its instrumental and effective work in the Dominican Republic and FLO released the results of an important vote on revisions to their certifying standards. 2008 sure ended well, giving us a lot to be thankful for and a LOT to look forward to in 2009!
Let us know what changes you'd like to see in this newsletter by emailing us at bignews@coopcoffees.com.
Outreach and Special Projects
Coop Coffees welcomes new Board of Directors
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| Cooperative Coffees is thrilled to welcome a new Board of Directors as we enter in to 2009. We have quite the year ahead of us with a 10 year anniversary to celebrate and a challenging economy to confront. Perfect timing for such a qualified and enthusiastic team to lead the way! |
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| As you gear up for what will most likely be another very busy year, here are some of the exciting events scheduled for 2009. In addition to what’s happening at Cooperative Coffees, we’ve included events and projects that our allies are hosting all over North America. |
Roaster News
Spreading Christmas Joy: Bongo Java throws benefit concert for ACOES
| After visiting producer partner ACOES earlier in the year, one of Bongo Java's staff, Chris Durai felt compelled to help the members of that community make this Christmas extra special for their kids. Throwing together a local benefit concert, Chris managed to raise money to cover costs for what turned out to be a fantastic fiesta in Tacuba, El Salvador! Once again, we're reminded of the creativity and connection that Fair Trade enables. |
Join Higher Grounds on a Harvest Tour to Chiapas!
| Join us on an adventure through the Mayan Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico where we'll be meeting up with our many partners in the struggle for a just and dignified world. We'll be visiting organic and fair trade coffee co-ops working to create community sustainability and various autonomous projects that your coffee dollars support. |
Producer News
 | If you ever need a Fair Trade shot of inspiration – take a look at what OROMIA Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Union has been able to achieve in its short 10-year history! Their astounding amount of growth has inspired the coop to increase its capacity by providing helpful services to its members. From establishing its own bank to constructing an internal processing plant, OROMIA has come a long way since it began. |
FEDECARES brings hope and change to the Dominican Republic
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| Tierramerica, a specialized information service produced by international news agency, IPS recently reported on the coffee market of the Dominican Republic. IPS correspondent Valeria Vilardo describes the country's severe poverty -- found principally in coffee-producing regions -- and introduces FEDECARES as offering small-scale producers a hopeful alternative. Read an excerpt below to see the impact our hard-working producer partner is making in the D.R. |
Travel: Where in the world is Coopcoffees?
Looking ahead at travel for 2009
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| Whether we are starting a new relationship with a producer partner or striving to nourish a healthy and reciprocal working relationship, we believe that face to face time via travel is crucial to what we do. A couple of our roasters offer to take public delegations on their visits to producer countries. We've come up with a working calendar of upcoming travel (to be updated as new opportunities arise!) |
The Latest in the Fair Trade Movement
The verdict is out: FLO releases the results
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| In December, the Board of Directors at FLO met to vote on a series of revisions in their Fair Trade standards. The revisions were the product of nearly two years of consultation, discussion, and review. As the world of Fair Trade expands, it’s only natural that certifying bodies review the standard norms and seek to improve them where necessary. Now, the verdict is out and although we might have hoped for see steps towards more radical change towards greater producer empowerment in the basic framework, we are pleased to see - at the very least - that FLO recognizes the need for intentional review. |
