In March, a group of seven representatives of various food co-operatives across the country joined three Equal Exchange worker-owners on a trip to Chiapas, Mexico to visit one of our coffee farmer partners, CESMACH.
Many of them have written about this experience and have offered some very interesting perspectives on coffee farming, the CESMACH co-operative of small scale organic farmers, the role of consumers and food co-operatives, and Equal Exchange’s partnership s on both sides of the supply chain.
You can read the first few articles published (and see some great photos) here.
Today, I’d like to share with you two additional articles that have since been written about the trip; each one offers a different perspective and unique insights into a trip that brought new respect, admiration, friendships, and deeper levels of commitment to coffee farmers and visitors alike.
Stephanie Catlett, Marketing Coordinator of New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City, Iowa published this article in the Summer issue of their newsletter, Catalyst.
And, Kathy Piedl, Wellness Manager, at Hungry Hollow Co-op, in Chestnut Ridge, NY published this article in the Spring/Summer issue of the Hungry Holler.
Hungry Holler Spring 2009 final
Let us know what you think!
Small Farmers. Big Change. 
Thanks for providing more great stories and producer perspectives. Even these brief glimpses of their reality add great meaning to the significance of the partnership between Equal Exchange and CESMACH…
I note that CafeDirect also have a long term fair-trade partnership with CESMACH.
My question is, this being the case, do you and Cafedirect as both wonderfully committed Fair Trade supporters of the Co-op have a coordinated approach to assisting CESMACH development?
Also in terms of your trading arrangements, do you and Cafedirect collaborate or compete for CESMACH product?
Many thanks for any clarification you can offer here!!
Hi Phyllis,
Congratulations to the Equal Exchange team for the great work they are doing with CESMACH your co-op partner. It was certainly interesting to read the perspectives of Katie and Stephanie. What a fantastic experience it must have been for all involved!
I note that CafeDirect also identifies CESMACH as one of their key Co op partners. My question is whether Equal Exchange and CafeDirect collaborate with each other on their partnership support and coordinate their efforts to achieve a unified fair trade voice with CESMACH?
Hi Scott,
Thanks for your feedback and your comments. Interesting questions…
As far as I know Cafe Direct’s coffee is bought through Twin Trading with whom we do have a close relationship. In the case of CESMACH, we have not coordinated “projects” perse, although each of us has a relationship with CESMACH that goes beyond “just” purchasing their beans.
With other co-ops, we have coordinated this work more closely (quality trainings, infrastructure improvement, capacity building, etc.) but this hasn’t been a priority for CESMACH.
Finally, no, I don’t see that we are competing at all for coffee.
I hope this answers some of your questions. If not, feel free to write back.
Best,
Phyllis
Hey Scott,
I think our comments crossed in cyber-space! Let me know if you have further questions…
Phyllis
Hi Phyllis,
Thanks for your detailed responses…sorry about the cyberspace mix up!!
It was interesting to hear your comments about the nature of your relationship with Twin Trading and how you do coordinate with them in terms of your support to the co-ops.
When you say you have a ‘close’ relationship with Twin Trading, I was wondering what ‘close’ actually meant? Would you be willing to share more about that relationship? Is it formal? Does it resemble some form of partnership? Do you have defined and regular contact?
I ask these questions because there is a lot emphasized, written and discussed about the relationship between the ATOs and the producers, but there is very little publicly discussed about ATOs important relationships with others in the fair trade community (the exception being certification bodies).
I worry that this may create the unfounded perception of a competitive and fragmented, rather than collaborative and unified fair-trading community.
Hi Scott,
You raise a good point about the amount of research/information that exists out there about the relationship between ATOs and producers, but not about ATOs working together – or ATOS and non-profits working together for that matter.
I would say that there is a good deal of collaboration amongst ATOs around certain issues. One of these issues would be Fair Trade certification, both specifically when changes to the requirements are proposed, and around the general direction the certification system is taking. For example, when Transfair wanted to expand the register to include plantations in coffee, there was a general uproar among the most progressive and committed ATOs: discussions, meetings, joint actions, etc.
As for project collaboration, and your specific question about Twin Trading and Equal Exchange, we have collaborated on a number of capacity-building projects. For example, Equal Exchange has financially supported work being carried out by Twin with some of our producer partners in Africa to strengthen the co-ops’ organizational and productive capacity.
Equal Exchange also has strong collaborations with a number of Interfaith organizations and we have worked with them to support capacity-building, environmental, and social justice projects, as well as provide emergency relief when needed. Occasionally, we have supported our farmer partners in efforts to repeal illegal taxes or support efforts they are undertaking in their regions.
In fact, I would say that the network of ATOs, non-profit organizations, food co-ops, and other engaged consumer and activist groups represents one of the most important strengths of the Fair Trade movement – something few people recognize when they assess the impact of Fair Trade solely on price paid to producer.
Thanks for asking and thinking about these questions.
Phyllis
, especially around issues of Fair Trade certification and direction,
Phyllis,
Thanks so much for such a comprehensive and insightful response…it is fascinating to hear of the great collaborations and interactions among the ATOs and other fair trade voices!
As you say, it is truly a significant, but unfortunately under-recognized and perhaps underutilized context of the future success of fair trade!
I look forward to hearing more wonderful stories of Equal Exchange and their fair trading partnerships!
Scott