Celebrate Fair Trade Month this October!
This October is the 2nd annual Fair Trade Month in the US. TransFair is once again collaborating with supermarkets, cafes, licensees, students, people of faith, and other supporters in a drive to raise consumer awareness and increase sales of Fair Trade products during the month of October. Fair Trade Month involves hundreds of events throughout the country including retail promotions, display contests, tastings, farmer tours and educational sessions that attract widespread media coverage. Learn more about Fair Trade Month.

Fair Trade Farmers Coming to a Town Near YOU
TransFair will be bringing Fair Trade coffee, banana and cacao producers to the US. Hosting an event with a Fair Trade farmer is a great way to raise awareness about Fair Trade in your community.

Region	Dates	Type of Producer(s)
San Francisco Bay Area	October 14th - 20th	Coffee
Denver/Boulder	October 1st - 4th	Banana
Chicago	October 21th - October 25th	Coffee
New York	October 4th - October 10th	Cacao
Northern Ohio/Michigan	October 5th - October 10th	Banana

If you are interested in hosting or attending a Fair Trade farmer event in one of the above regions, please contact ftmonth@transfairusa.org. We’ll be happy to provide language interpretation, educational materials and help in planning. To learn about other events in your area, click here >

The Educational Network for Global and Grassroots Exchange (ENGAGE) will be bringing three Fair Trade and Organic rice farmers all the way from Thailand to Maine, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. Contact jrice@engage-humanity.org to learn more about this exciting program.

Fair Trade Chocolate is Booo-ti-ful!
Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates and Global Exchange have teamed up to create a highly anticipated Fair Trade Trick-or-Treat candy, making this the first Halloween season in the U.S. where consumers are able to hand out chocolate to candy lovers without fear of supporting child slavery and destroying habitats. The individually wrapped chocolates will be sold in bags of 36 or as part of a Fair Trade Trick-or-Treat kit. The kit will also include Halloween decorations, a ghostly poster for the window identifying your home as a Fair Trade Trick-or-Treat household, and more! Each piece of Halloween chocolate will proudly display the Fair Trade Certified label, guaranteeing that the chocolate was produced under fair and safe working conditions. Order the Halloween Fair Trade Chocolate kit here >

Tell us about it!
Please let us know about the events and actions you’re planning for Fair Trade Month. We’d like to showcase the best examples of Fair Trade activism on our website and in our next issue of the Beat. Post your event here >

Changing the World, Grain by Grain
TransFair is proud to announce the launch of the newest Fair Trade Certified product, rice! Generations of small-scale rice farmers in Thailand and India have developed some of the world's most unique rices: sweet Basmati, aromatic jasmine, and even coral and violet varieties. Traditionally, these farmers have sold their rice to local middlemen rather than developing relationships with exporters. The low prices they receive often do not cover their costs of production, leaving them unable to repay the loans they need to buy seeds and fertilizer -- and further impoverishing their families.

Fair Trade certification ensures that rice farmers receive a fair price for their harvest, creates direct trade links between farmers and buyers, and provides access to affordable credit. Through Fair Trade, farmers and their families are earning a better income for their hard work - allowing them to hold on to their land, keep their kids in school, and invest in the quality of their harvest. Only by paying rice farmers fair prices can we ensure that these delicious, artesanal foods are available for generations to come.

White and brown Indian basmati rice will be available in natural foods stores nationwide under store brands and the Ahaar brand. Jasmine, coral and ruby rice from Thailand will be sold under the Alter Eco brand.

DID YOU KNOW? Rice is the world’s most important food crop, accounting for 20% of world caloric intake! Indigenous knowledge of generations of farmers in India and Thailand is under threat from companies trying to patent jasmine and basmati rice strains. ENGAGE, an NGO focusing on Thai development, does lots of policy work focusing on protecting farmers’ rights to farm these crops. For more info about Thai rice farmers and Fair Trade, go to their website: www.engage-humanity.org

Announcing the World’s First Textbook on Fair Trade
TransFair's very own New Products Manager, Charlotte Opal, recently co-authored a book focusing entirely on the global Fair Trade movement. "Fair Trade: Market-Driven Ethical Consumption" is the world's first textbook on Fair Trade, and includes chapters on the economics of Fair Trade, financing Southern producers and importers in the North, marketing Fair Trade products, and the social impacts of Fair Trade, as well as several business case studies. Charlotte co-authored the book with Alex Nicholls, a professor of Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University, so it covers the European as well as North American markets. It's written for anyone who wants to understand Fair Trade more in-depth from a business, economic, or marketing perspective. The book is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

"The book includes overviews of the history and potential futures of Fair Trade, but my favorite aspect is the in-depth analysis of the Fair Trade model itself."

--Sean Garrison, TransFair's Graphics Guru

Mexican Hometown Associations Respond to Fair Trade Message
Jean Walsh, Strategic Outreach Coordinator, and Martha Jimenez, VP of Policy and Development, traveled to Los Angeles in August to take the Fair Trade message to dozens of Mexican-American community leaders. Through the generosity of the Rockefeller Foundation, TransFair is undertaking a pilot project to reach out to transnational communities. Jean and Martha attended a legislative hearing on the emergence of immigrant hometown associations, were interviewed by a local Latino publication, and developed TransFair’s first-ever materials in Spanish. The visit highlighted the power of Fair Trade to bring benefits to hometowns in Mexico as well as offering alternative business and community-building opportunities here in the US.

TransFair USA Teams Up With Coldplay and Oxfam America!
TransFair USA teamed up with Oxfam America at the Coldplay concert in the San Francisco Bay Area on August 19th to raise awareness about Fair Trade! TransFair helped spread the message about Fair Trade Certified products and supported the call by British rock group Coldplay and Oxfam America for concert-goers to sign the Big Noise petition that calls on world leaders to change trade rules that keep millions of farmers across the world in poverty. The Big Noise petition has been signed by 7.7 million people globally. Oxfam will deliver the Big Noise to world trade ministers this December at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong.

Fair Trade Futures Conference! September 30 to October 2 in Chicago
Hundreds of people will be gathering at the first ever Fair Trade Futures Conference in Chicago this fall. The Fair Trade Resource Network and the Fair Trade Federation are organizing the conference, and TransFair is pleased to be among the sponsors. Over the course of a weekend, participants will build energy and excitement about Fair Trade, bring the principles and practices of Fair Trade to national attention, develop relationships, deepen understanding among committed Fair Traders, and reach out to new consumers, activists, grassroots organizations and allies. Together we will share experiences, learn from each other, and plan new ways for us to take Fair Trade to the next level!

Don’t miss it! Register here...

Party with a Purpose at Green Festival
September 24-25 in Washington, DC and November 5-6 in San Francisco
Check out the Fair Trade Pavilion and dozens of other Fair Trade organizations offering Fair Trade Certified products. Say hello to us at the TransFair booth! If you’re in the DC or SF area, come check it out! Go here to register: www.greenfestivals.com

From the Faith-based Fair Trade World
At its annual General Synod meeting in Atlanta this summer, the United Church of Christ approved a resolution affirming the importance of purchasing Fair Trade products, most notably coffee, and encouraged its congregations, seminaries, colleges, and camp and conference centers to commit to support and participate in Fair Trade. The UCC has a partnership with the Equal Exchange Interfaith Coffee Program. More information will be available at www.ucc.org by October 1.

Catholic Relief Services will launch its Fair Trade chocolate program this fall with the introduction of Divine Fair Trade Certified chocolate from the world’s first farmer-owned chocolate company.

Lutheran World Relief, along with Equal Exchange, announced a brand-new Fair Trade Certified coffee blend at the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in America’s Triennial Gathering in San Antonio, Texas in July. The new Sisters’ Blend honors women coffee farmers around the world and was inspired by the enthusiasm and leadership of Women of the ELCA in supporting LWR’s 90-Ton Challenge last year. The goal of the challenge to double the amount of Fair Trade coffee purchased by Lutherans through the LWR Coffee Project was surpassed with the final result of 96 tons! To learn more, go here, and to purchase the coffee visit here.

New Faces at TransFair
All of us at TransFair USA are delighted to welcome the following folks to our fast-growing fair trade family:

• Caren Holzman, Certification Manager. Caren, taking over for Jamie Dean, comes to TransFair having worked as an independent consultant on Corporate Social Responsibility issues and as an advisor to social entrepreneurs on business strategy.
  
  
• Demian Luper, Coffee Account Manager. Demian will be using his diverse work experience, which includes wine sales, recruiting, and institutional investing, to work with TransFair’s coffee licensees in Business Development.
  
  
• Ella Silverman, Cocoa & Ingredients Account Manager. Ella came to TransFair after earning a Master’s Degree in City & Regional Planning at Cornell University. She will be joining the Business Development team promoting Fair Trade chocolate.


• Erin Rowley, Fair Trade Month Assistant. Just back from traveling in India, where she was engaged in botanical research, Erin is enthusiastic to ensure a successful Fair Trade Month!


• Jonathan Feldman, Senior Development Officer. Jonathan replaces departing Development Manager Heather Franzese. Jonathan brings with him over 12 years of experience at the American Cancer Society, where he served as Director of Income Development.
  
  
• Sarah Christensen, Retail and Hospitality Associate. A returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Swaziland, Southern Africa), Sarah works with the new Retail and Hospitality Department assisting retailers in their efforts to promote and sell Fair Trade Certified products.

SUNSTAR – Federation of Small Farmers of Khaddar Area, India
Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, the 900 members of the Federation of Small Farmers of Khaddar Area (Sunstar) cultivate Fair Trade Certified Basmati rice that is fed by water from the Ganges River. Basmati rice was originally discovered in this region of India and continues to be prized for its nutty taste and fragrance. The Federation supplies high-quality aromatic rice while harnessing market opportunities for small-scale farmers. Sunstar Fair Trade farmers exclusively grow organic rice, illustrating the federation's dedication to sustainable farming practices. Since becoming Fair Trade Certified with the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) in 2004, the members have decided to use the additional revenue from Fair Trade funds to support educational opportunities for women and children, to provide pre-financing to their farmers during harvest season, and to support organic agriculture by facilitating and funding the organic certification process.

“The higher price received for our rice has helped farmers emerge from an exploitative eternal debt cycle...The vicious cycle has been broken by the Fair Trade mechanism, because Sunstar provides interest-free loans. The added income has infused confidence among farmers and their condition is not only improving economically, but also socially.”

--Ajay Katyal, Sunstar Exporter

Bergandal Boerdery – Rooibos farm in South Africa
Bergandal Boerdery is a rooibos farm situated among lush green citrus orchards on the Western Cape of South Africa. Set in the Cedarburg Mountains, this region is among the most fertile botanical zones in the world and the only zone worldwide where rooibos is grown. In order to preserve their pristine environment, Bergandal Boerdery touts a 100% organic production. Bergandal Boerdery first became Fair Trade Certified in 2003 for its wine production and has since extended certification to include rooibos, dried fruit and citrus. The Fair Trade premium is directly invested in social projects which benefit their 58 permanent workers and 44 seasonal workers. The joint body of workers has decided to use the premium to support HIV and AIDS programs, preschool education, and the creation of a community hall.

“Our vision is to be well trained, responsible co-partners, producing quality products in a world-class business while creating wealth in harmony with nature and to the grace of God."

--Bergendal Boerdery Joint Body and Workers Committee

Do you Fair Trade?
Send us digital photos of you and your friends wearing your “I Fair Trade” T’s (DIY Iron-On available here) and we’ll post the best shots on our website.



Picture at left - Fair Trade supporter Dow W. Patten of Salt Lake City, Utah, sporting his I “heart” Fair Trade shirt!

If I can’t Trade Fair, it’s not my Resolution!
The City and County of San Francisco, working with a coalition of nearly 60 community groups, passed a historic resolution in July to maximize purchase of Fair Trade Certified products. The City spends thousands and thousands of dollars each year on coffee and other products for its hospitals, jails, and schools – all purchased with taxpayer money. By passing this legislation, City hall has heard the message loud and clear: citizens of San Francisco want their taxpayer dollars to be spent in ways that support fair labor practices and protect the environment!

The SF Resolution is the strongest Fair Trade Resolution in the country, as it not only declares support for Fair Trade, it assigns the Department of the Environment with the task of investigating purchasing practices and options and issuing recommendations by December, 2005 that identify how the city can maximize purchase of Fair Trade Certified products. The Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition will be working closely with cty officials in the coming months to help ensure they follow through with the recommendations. For more information and tips on how to pass a Resolution in YOUR city, contact jean@transfairusa.org.