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November 2008
A Cooperative Coffees e-Newsletter for and about Fair Trade
Issue No. 6 November 2008
In this issue...
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| Reach out!Outreach and Special Projects Roaster News Producer News Travel: Where in the World is CoopCoffees? The Latest in the Fair Trade Movement |
Reach out!
This month seems to have slipped past with Cooperative Coffees running from one meeting to the next! And while our work certainly is not limited to meetings and assemblies, they are indeed an important element of our business, especially when that business accounts for members and partners from all over the continent and globe! Our time together is indispensable!
Taking the time to step back from our everyday tasks in order to gather with associates and review the mission, direction, and goals of both our organization and the movement in general is crucial to the success of Fair Trade. Furthermore, the opportunity to meet with our international partners and see what they are engaged in within their own countries and communities enriches the work of Cooperative Coffees as a whole. It is precisely during these meetings -- however formal or informal they may be -- that partnerships are established and everyone involved experiences the gratification of the time and effort they've invested in Fair Trade.
Life is so much better with good communication! Enjoy your read!
Let us know what changes you'd like to see in this newsletter by emailing us at bignews@coopcoffees.com.
Outreach and Special Projects
CoopCoffees and members reunite for this year's AGM
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| Each year, members and staff of Cooperative Coffees gather for a couple of days of intensive -- in terms of both fun and efficiency! -- meetings, otherwise known as the Annual General Meeting. Aside from the updates on business, the meeting gives us the chance to get to know our fellow coop-members better -- a difficult feat considering the hundreds of miles between most of us! And this year we had the privilege of hosting 3 producer partners who visited a few of our roasters after the meeting! |
Roaster News
Cafe Cambio Reports from Guatemala
 | CoopCoffees member-roaster Cafe Cambio from Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada sends us their greetings from Guatemala. In the report below (translated from French), they describe some of the activities they've participated in despite serious rainstorms that are currently inundating the country. |
Peace Coffee makes news!
 | In October, the Star Tribune (newspaper in Minneapolis) featured Peace Coffee and their sustainable business model in an article on business. From their bike/bio-diesel van deliveries, to their (and Cooperative Coffees') model of trade, to the controversy surrounding FT certification, this article covers a number of "hot" items affecting many of our roasters today. |
Producer News
Fondo Paez mobilizes for justice
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| In the last decade, citizens of Colombia have lived through a brutal war in the rural regions of the country where lawless paramilitaries and dangerously powerful drug lords ruthlessly rip through areas occupied by indigenous groups. The government has responded with retaliatory violence in which innocent bystanders fall victim to undiscriminating police officers. In the midst of it all, indigenous groups -- including Fondo Paez -- have attempted to redress historical problems of land mismanagement and ownership, hoping to regain the land that has so violently been taken from them. |
CECOCAFEN is recognized for their social development projects
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| In an article published in October, Francisco Mendoza of "El Nuevo Diario" (newspaper of Managua, Nicaragua) reports on CECOCAFEN's prize-winning efforts in the Women's Solidarity Project! In a contest in which coops from over 20 different countries participated and 50 different social development projects were presented, CoopCoffee's cooperative partner captured second place! |
Travel: Where in the world is Coopcoffees?
Coop Coffees tours Guatemala and Chiapas
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| Taking advantage of their trip to Guatemala for the CLAC’s annual assembly, Monika Firl of CoopCoffees and Katie Colligan of member-roaster Desert Sun spent the following week catching up with some of our producer partners in the region. They packed their agenda tight, with plans to meet up with five different groups in five different geographical areas. Everything went more or less as planned in spite of the unforeseen flat tire and wild “Todos Santos” (Day of the Dead) celebration! In the end, the trip was a good combination of business and fun – the way we like to do it at Cooperative Coffees! |
The Latest in the Fair Trade Movement
CLAC calls for change at their bi-annual assembly
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| More than 300 producer delegates and observers from 25 countries celebrated together the Third Bi-Annual CLAC Assembly – held this year in Antigua, Guatemala October 28 - 29, 2008. CLAC – the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Small-Scale Fair Trade Producers – is an association of 300 farmer associations representing some 250,000 men and women working to promote sustainable development through Fair Trade in 20 Latin American countries. This year, top issues on the table included the current economic and ecological crisis’ and their impact on Fair Trade. |
