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July/August 2009
A Cooperative Coffees e-Newsletter for and about Fair Trade
Issue No. 14 July - August 2009
In this issue...
Reach out!
Before summer slips away, here's a quick update on news from Coop Coffees and friends. Up in Montreal, the Coop Sol crew has been busy packing, moving, painting, and settling in to a new location. Just around the corner, member-roaster Cafe Rico's been doing a little of its own settling in -- right next door to the cafe, "Le Petit Rico" is now open and serving customers delicious, home-cooked meals in a warm and relaxing setting.
In other news, climate change is wreaking havoc, once again, on agriculture in northern Peru. Several newsletters back, we reported on how climate change has caused precarious and unpredictable weather conditions, creating a whole host of problems for the region's agricultural industry. This month, we've heard from producer partner CEPICAFE about how mango producers in their region of Piura, Peru are fighting excessive rainfall and lower-than-usual temperatures.
Though they may not be facing climate change to the same degree, the farmers of ACOES coop in El Salvador have their own set of challenges to produce high quality, sustainable coffee. Roaster-member Just Coffee visited the coop and got to see some of the ways ACOES was incorporating what they had learned from a workshop series led by Coop Coffees for the CRS CAFE Livelihoods project in June. It's experiences like this that demonstrate that while Fair Trade certainly doesn't make the challenges disappear, it can create a space for two-way communication and creative problem-solving.
Finally, we get a good idea from Carmen Iezzi of FTF of what Fair Trade relationships, and the movement in general, are aiming to do, in an interview by well-known blogger "Green LA Girl" at the California Craft Show last month.
If you just happen to be in the neighborhood... don't hesitate to drop by our new Montreal office for more details about these and other hot issues! Until then, 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
Coop Sol comes out of the closet!
 | After years of small-but-steady steps forward (and good use of the "power of positive thinking"), Coop Coffees’ sister coop in Montreal la Cooperative de Solidarite du Cafe Equitable “CoopSol” has moved beyond our former “closet-sized” office and into our current office “compound” – or, as we like to call it, “Le Laboratoire du Commerce Equitable” (The Fair Trade Laboratory)! |
Roaster News
Cafe Rico open for lunch at Le Petit Rico!
 | Member roaster Café Rico has opened the doors to “Le Petit Rico” – a charming restaurant-kitchen that offers delicious lunches and healthy take-out meals from 9 to 5. Sourcing from local Quebec farmers, fisherman, and butchers and using Fair Trade ingredients wherever they can, Le Petit Rico brings a wholesome "new and unique" flavor to the neighborhood! |
Producer News
Climate change strikes again: this time, hitting Peru's mango producers
 | The farmers of northern Peru continue to fight against the damaging effects of global warming. As we reported in an article earlier this year, Peru is the third most affected country in the world by climate change. The northern region of Piura is among the areas experiencing the most dramatic impact. Massive deluges at unexpected times and temperatures that are consistently higher (or sometimes lower) than the norm are evidence of the larger climatic disruptions taking place across the planet. |
New partner, new profile: KNCU of Tanzania
 | KNCU is an historical name in the small-holder coffee business, but one of our newest trading partners at Cooperative Coffees. KNCU began as a registered cooperative back to 1933. Today, it trades coffee with 67 Primary Cooperative Societies, representing 60,000 farmer members. The Union offers technical training, marketing services, and financial support, among other services. KNCU is dedicated to helping its farmers transition to organic farming to establish a more sustainable and marketable product. If all of that weren't enough, the Union also runs a well-developed tourism program aimed at bridging the gap between coffee buyers/consumers and coffee producers. |
Travel: Where in the world is CoopCoffees?
Just Coffee's report on a busy delegation to El Salvador!
 | Earlier this summer, Coop Coffees member roaster Just Coffee took a small group to El Salvador to meet with members of producer partner ACOES. The delegation spent two days with the coop, learning all about its history as well as its current context. While the coop has made much progress recently in terms of getting its foot in the door of Fair Trade and organics, they have a lot of work ahead of them in securing better yields and higher quality coffee. ACOES is one of the coops involved in the CRS CAFE Livelihoods Project that CC supports and helps facilitate. |
The Latest in the Fair Trade Movement
Green LA Girl interviews Carmen Iezzi
 | During the California Gift Show, Fair Trade blogger Green LA Girl sat down with Fair Trade Federation's Carmen Iezzi. They discussed product prices, certification, and of course, the Federation itself. As is her style, Carmen eloquently explained the position of the "100% Fair Traders" and gave a balanced perspective on the movement in general. |
Global Exchange wants more from their S'mores!
 | It's summertime and for many people, that means camping time. What could make a camping trip more complete than a delicious fire-cooked s'more? This summer, try having a FAIR TRADE s'more! Human rights organization Global Exchange is on a campaign to encourage people to "want MORE from their S'MORES" by using Fair Trade chocolate and getting the word out about the reality of conventionally traded cocoa. Starting July 4th and ending Labor Day, you can munch on your s'mores in solidarity with producers and fellow Fair Traders all over the world. |
