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Greetings, and welcome to the second edition of Fair
Grounds! Thanks to all the readers who graciously
provided feedback on our April issue. Quite frankly, we
were overwhelmed with your positive comments, and we hope
we can continue bringing you a newsletter that will
inform, educate and entertain. Look for the Fair
Grounds newsletter to hit your e-mail box once a
month, towards the middle of the month. We promise it'll
be the only e-mail promotion you'll get from us.
In this month's edition of Fair Grounds, we're
commemorating the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo. And to
kick it off, we asked our staffer and friend Maria De La
Paz to share with you (in English and in Spanish) what
Cinco de Mayo means to her and her culture.
"Hello! I am Maria and I’ve been working for Café
Campesino for awhile. I am from the beautiful state of
Chiapas, Mexico. Independence Day in Mexico is September
16, and it is the most important non-religious day of the
year. However in the month of May, we celebrate another
very special day…Cinco de Mayo! Parading down the
streets of our town, the men are dressed in white linen
pants and shirts. We women wear colorful, long flowing
skirts and blouses. Traditionally, after the parade we eat
red "mole" with rice and beans. All this is done
to celebrate the defeat of the French army by Mexicans at
the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
The
state of Puebla is located in the southern most part of
Mexico. It has one of the highest volcanoes in the
country, which is approximately 7 km high and is covered
with snow. In agriculture, Puebla produces apples,
avocados, coffee, and oranges; however, corn is its
principle crop. Among its natural attraction, one can find
the hot springs of Chignahuapan, the Valley of the rock in
Zacatlán, and the natural springs of Tehuacan. Besides
its historical district, Puebla has been declared as the
cultural inheritance of humanity.
Knowing
the problems that we have in Mexico, it gives me great
pleasure to collaborate with Café Campesino, which tries
to help our people by paying them a fair price for their
coffee. Like it is known, it is difficult to get companies
to pay farm workers a fair wage. But Café Campesino is
one of the few companies that is doing so. This is so
important for our people who are coffee producers. We
Chiapanecos have great hope that one day the organic
coffee that is produced in Chiapas will also be produced
in other parts of our country. Because of this I give
thanks in the name of my fellow Chiapanecos to Café
Campesino!"
—
Maria De La Paz
Click here
for the Spanish translation.
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In
1999, Café Campesino imported the first container of
coffee sold by Mut Vitz (our Mexico Chiapas coffee origin)
through fair trade channels. Since then, Café Campesino,
as a founding member of Cooperative Coffees, continues a
direct relationship with Mut Vitz. We have visited this
dedicated group of farmer several times and return from
each trip inspired by their dedication and determination
in spite of their difficult struggle for basic human
rights in Chiapas.
A
Cooperative Coffees Roaster Visit to Mut Vitz: Café
Campesino’s Chiapan coffee producing cooperative
by
Monika Maria Firl
There’s
nothing like a trip to the heart of coffee country to
bring Fair Trade aspirations back into focus.
Small-scale
coffee farmers throughout the Chiapan highlands are facing
a hungry year. Although coffee production was good for the
2001 — 2002 harvest, the international prices are as low
as they’ve been in more than 100 years. Farmers without
access to some kind of alternative markets are likely to
leave much of the coffee on the trees, since the price it
would fetch will be less than what it costs to pick the
berries. This will be a challenging and competitive year
for farmers in coffee-growing regions everywhere. For a
young cooperative like Mut Vitz, it could be a "make
or break" experience.
To
read about Monika's visit to Chiapas, click here:
Considered
by many to be one of the most successful small-scale
farmer cooperatives in Latin America, UCIRI began
exporting fair trade coffee in 1983 and now sells over 40
containers of coffee each year directly to end users. Cafe
Campesino imported one of its first containers from UCIRI
in 1998 and, as a founding member of Cooperative Coffees,
continues a direct trade relationship. Our Mexico Oaxaca
coffee is sourced from UCIRI and medium-roasted to
highlight sweet and smooth acidity and nutty flavor.
UCIRI:
Union of Indigenous Communities in the Istmo Region
by
Laure Waridel
In
the Mexican state of Oaxaca, a group of peasants have
taken steps to cut the links of dependence and
victimization often inherent in the conventional coffee
trade. These peasants have chosen to take a stand and act
for the future of their communities. To protect the Earth,
which they call their mother, these indigenous Zapotecos,
Mixes, and Chontales practice organic agriculture.
For
more
information on UCIRI, click here:
http://www.equiterre.qc.ca/english/coffee/
rte_alternative_eng/coop_eng/coopuciri.html
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Trade
shows. The old "How are you doing?" "Good
to see you!" "Can’t believe it's been a
year…" Spontaneous meetings — in the hall, the
aisle, at breakfast, during break, even in the bathroom.
Shiny happy booths geared to "sell, sell, sell!"
To
say I wasn't looking forward to the long flight to
Anaheim, California, is an major understatement. The
perfect plastic city that's home to Goofy has never been a
desirable destination for me.
Learn
how Bill's trip to the Specialty Coffee Association of
America meeting changed his mind about the value of some
trade shows. Click here:
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May
10: Southface Energy Institute’s Sustainable Atlanta
Roundtable (SART): Tackling Atlanta’s Stormwater Woes with
Green Solutions
Café
Campesino attends the monthly (first Friday of every
month, unless otherwise noted) SART as a Fair Trade
representative promoting sustainable coffee agriculture
and trade.
Next Roundtable: June 7th — TBA
To register on their Roundtable mailing list/e-mail list,
visit:
www.southface.org/home/sart/sustainatlanta.html
May
17-18:
Café Campesino will be supplying coffee for the 2002
Georgia Green Party Nominating Convention. The
convention takes place on Friday, May 17th - Sunday, May
19th, at the Farmer's Market in Macon.
May 21 - 23: Callaway Gardens— Greener Fields Forum
A coalition (ecological labelers from business and
non-profit sectors) including Café Campesino, discussing guiding principles and
common elements of successful eco-labeling. The Greener
Fields Project was initiated to intensify the dialogue
between eco-labeling initiatives, evaluate programs and
policies that support these efforts and build further
capacity and leadership in the sustainable agriculture
labeling community. This forum emerged from a two-year
research project: Greener Fields: Signposts for Successful
Eco-labeling
http://www.rafiusa.org/whatsnew/green.html
June
6: 2nd Annual Global Exchange Human Rights Award Ceremony
Café Campesino is participating in a collaborative effort
to supply 250 8oz. coffee bags for the 2nd Annual Global
Exchange Human Rights Award Ceremony. This celebration of Global Exchange's human rights work
around the world shines a light on international activists
as well as local Bay Area humanitarians. This year's human
rights award recipients are Mexican attorney, Digna Ochoa, and
California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation director
Claudia Smith. For more information, visit www.globalexchange.org.
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Here's a sampling of the customer comments we
received in April. Thanks to all for the kind words!
"Thanks guys..your service, product, and purpose are all three great..I want to help in some way spread the fair trade message..doing these gifts is one
way...thanks"
— Tyler
"The order was prompt and the coffee packed well. The coffee was obviously roasted just before shipment. Its aroma was magnificent when I opened the box and the grounds swelled beautifully when I put the first touch of hot water on them after grinding. This is some of the best coffee I've tasted. I very much appreciate the socially responsible approach of Fair Trade, organic and shade grown coffee. I intend to purchase from
Café
Campesino frequently. Also, I am a pastor and have described the company from the pulpit as an example to be followed. Others are asking me for the name of the company."
— John
"Thank you!
This is about the 3rd or 4th time I've ordered coffee from
Café Campesino, and the first time I've used the internet. I really like your coffee, and your policies."
— Amy
If
you've got something to say about Café Campesino or our
products please share it by sending an e-mail to:
feedback@cafecampesino.com
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