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March 2009
A Cooperative Coffees e-Newsletter for and about Fair Trade
Issue No. 10 March 2009
In this issue...
Reach out!
For us in the North.. days are getting longer, the sun is getting warmer, and the grass is getting greener as Winter takes a break - making way for Spring to open its door on cabin fever. But for folks in Specialty Coffee, Spring means more than just warm weather. It evokes memories of and expectation for the largest coffee exposition of the year: the grand SCAA! This year, Coop Coffees will be participating en force - with a booth on the trade floor with several of our roaster members and an overnight affair in Americus to kickoff our 10th year Anniversary: replete with round table discussion, an assembly meeting and an evening celebration together with roaster members, producer partners and our closest Fair Trade allies.
This month's newsletter also tells of exciting news about the recent launching of Sweetwater Organics Coffee -- an "off-shoot" of sorts from member roaster Cafe Campesino - as well as a Cafe Campesino delegation to Colombia, leading clients, CoopCoffees members and staff to visit the National Federation of Coffee Growers and producer partners, Fondo Paez and APCO (Ocamonte) with an emphasis of getting a glimpse at the "Day in the Life" of a campesino farmer.
As we learn, it is never a dull moment in the world of the campesino. This month we received news coop Nahuala in Guatemala about a raging forest fire in their region left unattended by local officials. This is yet one example of the many challenges farmers face on a day-to-day basis.
Highlighting these challenges - an original documentary Campesinos...la terre va nous rester (we will inherit the earth) was recently premiered at the Quebec Film Festival. It offers a close-up and intriguing take - from the perspective of coffee farming children - the challenge and the hope in working in a small-farmer cooperative.
Let us know what changes you'd like to see in this newsletter by emailing us at bignews@coopcoffees.com.
** SPECIAL: Donkey Meter Update! **
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| Our Ethiopian donkey project continues and has brought out quite the competitive spirit in our roasters! This month, Bongo Java swept in to take the lead over Larry's Beans as the top donkey donor with a commitment to purchase 6 -- yes 6! -- donkeys! Each farming coop where CoopCoffees sources coffee will enter into a "friendly competition" for top-quality coffee cherries at their collective wet processing plants. This will not only help farmers improve their quality (and save their backs!), but is also a fun way for consumers to support Fair Trade and to connect with coffee producers. If you're interested in helping lighten the load of a producer family in Ethiopia (and getting ahead in our own friendly competition!) by sponsoring a donkey for $75, please contact us at bignews@coopcoffees.com. |
Outreach and Special Projects
Gearing up for 2009's SCAA Coffee Conference
 | Although we can hardly believe it's been a year since all the excitement of the last SCAA coffee convergence, we're already in the throws of the hustle and bustle that comes with participating in an event like this! This year, the event is in Atlanta, GA which gives us the perfect excuse to host a huge post-SCAA Coop Coffees bash to kick off our 10th Anniversary in CC's birthplace, Americus, Georgia! |
Roaster News
Sweetwater joins the family!
| Late last year, the team at Cafe Campesino grew quite a bit with the acquisition of their "sister" roastery located in Gainesville, FL -- about 3 hours southeast of Americus, GA. Cooperative Coffees is happy to welcome Sweetwater into the family! |
Producer News
Santiago of CEPICAFE returns to participate in SIAL Montreal!
 | Last May, several of the Canadian members of Coop Coffees had the pleasure of hosting Santiago during his tour around the time of the SCAA conference. This year, he's back for one of the largest and most renowned food trade shows in the world: the SIAL Montreal. Luckily, Coop Coffees will benefit yet again from Santiago's visit to the Great North with visits to roaster members and allies. |
Raging forest fires blaze through Guatemala
 | On 10 February 2009, fires broke out near the Pecul (Santo Tomas) volcano, located in the western region of Guatemala. The wildfire spread across multiple departments and municipalities, wreaking havoc on miles of cultivated land. Nearly a month after the fires began, several areas had yet to receive assistance from the government. This is merely one example of the harsh challenges farmers all over the world must face in their daily work to produce the foods and commodities on which consumers in the North depend. |
Travel: Where in the world is Coopcoffees?
CC catches up with Fondo Paez and Ocamonte in Colombia
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| In February, a delegation made up of staff from Cooperative Coffees and clients of member-roaster Cafe Campesino took a 10-day trip to Colombia to meet up with producer partners Fondo Paez and APCO (Ocamonte). For many of those who went, it was their first experience in Colombia, offering those who had already been before a fresh perspective and giving the producer coops a chance to get to know Coop Coffees even better! |
The Latest in the Fair Trade Movement
Quebec documentary challenges our preconceptions about farming kids
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| Tortuga Films, a local Quebec independent film company, recently released a poignant and charming film that features the stories of three children living in farming cooperatives in Central America. "Campesinos...we will inherit the earth" has gotten much attention in Quebec, entering a number of film festivals and winning awards. The film was featured in the Quebec film festival in February by the National Film Board of Canada in Montreal and was sold out within minutes of the ticket booth's opening. |
IFAT changes its name (and logo) to WFTO
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| During the IFAT annual general assembly held in Sri Lanka in October 2008, the decision was made to change the organization's name to World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO). The following article appears on the WFTO's newly revamped website in February and the organization will be in a period of transition over the next several months. |
