Small Farmers. Big Change.

As many of you know, the Free Trade Agreement with Korea is about to be approved (despite many protests from labor, religious, farmer and other groups).   Amidst the FTA propaganda and protests, Equal Exchange received a note the other day from a Fair Trade Organization in South Korea that apparently is thrilled to be promoting Fair Trade chocolates from Equal Exchange!  We thought we should share it with all of you…

Dear Lisa,

It’s been long time since we’ve talked last time!

Hope all’s well with you.

Sorry that I didn’t send you the pics and video clips of your chocolate promotional event on the Valentine’s Day till now.

We were on TV show with Equal exchange chocolates!

It was a sales promotion on one of the famous shopping channels in Korea, and 350 sets were all sold out in less than 20 minutes though it was showing at 1:00 in the morning!

Click on this link and click <play> button in the picture on the page.

It’s part of news program reporting the show and the Fair trade chocolates.

Hope you could get on it fine. I would like to send you better pictures other than the one attached. I’ve not received the pics of the event from our sales dept. yet. Once I get them, I will update you with nicer pictures.

Hope you enjoy it!

Thanks,

Song

Here’s a  little more about this exciting new Fair Trade Company (from a correspondence dated June 2009 in which they introduce themselves to Equal Exchange):

“…Our company, Fair Trade Korea, Inc., is interested in knowing more about the chocolate products your firm offers. Fair Trade Korea, Inc., being a social enterprise, is the first fair trade company in South Korea  that has been built up by ordinary citizen stockholders and their active participation. It is our desire to offer our customers the widest selection possible of fair trade chocolates, and we are therefore always interested in new products that fall within that area…”