In this month's Fair Grounds, we explore Ethiopia, where the farmers continue a proud coffee-growing tradition despite a tumultuous climate (both politically and environmentally). We also have some Earth Day suggestions (courtesy of Global Exchange), a customer spotlight, an update on our whereabouts, a new recipe, an intriguing Fair Trade Fact…and more. Grab a cup of Café Campesino coffee and read on!

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It is the oldest independent country in Sub Saharan Africa and the only African country that has never been colonized. Its Great Rift Valley is known as the cradle of humanity, for the fossils of the oldest known hominid, the 3.5-million 'Lucy' that were found there in 1974. It is a beautiful land with a troubled past and an uncertain future. And it is the birthplace of coffee.

All varieties of coffee, whether grown in Asia or Africa, Central or South America, the islands of the Caribbean or Pacific, can trace their heritage to the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau. The earliest records of coffee use come from Ethiopia, where the native arabica tree has been harvested for centuries. More than any other country, Ethiopia has a broad genetic diversity among its coffee varieties. Nine different bean varieties are cultivated in the four growing areas, all with distinctive tastes, sizes, shapes, and colors.

More about exploring Ethiopia can be found here.
www.cafecampesino.com/fairgrounds/
newsletters/200304/ethiopia.html

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This Earth Day, promote trade that's clean and green: Fair Trade! On Earth Day (April 22) and throughout Earth week (April 20-26), get a group of friends to visit cafés and stores in your neighborhood or on your campus to encourage them to carry Fair Trade coffee, chocolate, and cocoa. This is a positive, fun, and easy way to promote Fair Trade AND environmental sustainability. Global Exchange has a packet with everything you need – background information, a flyer on Fair Trade & the Environment, a list of Fair Trade coffee and chocolate suppliers (including Café Campesino, of course), and a Q&A you can give to managers. A small group could cover the neighborhood in a few hours by taking on different areas of town. What better way to celebrate the earth – and the wonderful coffee and cocoa it gives life to – than to ensure fairness for coffee and cocoa producers?

Contact Global Exchange for information and materials at fairtrade@globalexchange.org or call them at 415-255-7296 x 352.

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Lee and Bill kicked off the busy month of April by attending the Fair Trade Federation (http://www.fairtradefederation.org) Annual Conference in Madison. We drove up from Chicago’s O’Hare airport in snow flurries – something we don’t see very often in Georgia. On April 6th, Bill presented a program on Organic and Fair Trade Coffee to the Georgia Organics (www.georgiaorganics.org) monthly meeting, held in the community room of our favorite natural foods cooperative, Sevananda (www.sevananda.com)

This past weekend, Victoria and Geoffrey set up for the BRAG Spring TuneUp (www.brag.org) in Eatonton, Georgia. Victoria ran the booth on Saturday and Sunday, serving hundreds of sleepy cyclists, while Geoffrey headed north to Washington for the ANSWER http://www.internationalanswer.org/ anti-war march on Saturday.

On April 24th, Bill and Lee head to Boston for the annual Specialty Coffee Association (www.scaa.org) meeting where we will socialize with many other members of Cooperative Coffees – and visit with several producer cooperative representatives who will attend the show.

Looking forward... From July 5-12, Bill is co-leading a Habitat for Humanity Global Village trip to Santa Cruz, Honduras. If you are interested in learning more about this experience - and possibly participating - visit http://www.habitat.org/intl/ and choose Honduras or call Bill at 229-924-2468.

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We welcome The Lodge on Little St. Simons to the Café Campesino family. Little St. Simons Island, located on the Georgia coast, has seven virtually untouched miles of pristine beach that has been described by Frommer’s Travel Guides as ". . . a marvel! Your heart will skip a beat at the beauty of it." The Lodge features 13 graciously appointed guestrooms (all with private baths) in five charming cottages, bountiful low country cuisine and Southern hospitality. For more information, call (888)733-5774.

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Think you know a lot about coffee? Then enter our Fair Grounds Trivia Contest. Click here for our question of the month. Entering is easy and it's FUN!

The answer to our last contest is going to surprise a lot of you. But it didn't surprise Kathleen Riehle who gave us the correct answer (B) and was lucky enough to be selected as this month's winner. Congratulations, Kathleen!.

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"If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner."

– Nelson Mandela

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