Fair Trade Futures Begins!
A coffee bag from the Chajulense Cooperative in Guatemala- some of the same producers that supply Cooperative Coffees.
Yesterday kicked-off the first day of the Fair Trade Futures Conference where about 780 people involved in the Fair Trade movement (producers, consumers, advocates, students, practitioners, coffee roasters and more) are gathering just outside of Boston in Quincy, Mass to discuss the future of Fair Trade.
Yesterday morning, I had a chance to tour Equal Exchange‘s headquarters and roasting facility that is in West Bridgewater, Mass., and learned about the exciting things they are doing with Fair Trade tea, chocolate and bananas. (and p.s., if we want to see Fair Trade bananas in Georgia and Florida, we should help them find a ripener & distributor in the area!)
Jennifer Gootman from Global Goods Partners, a Fair Trade Gifts company that sources from artisans in more than 15 countries.
More to come today from the conference today. Tripp is panelist in a debate this afternoon that considers whether certification is actually compatible with Fair Trade. Much to learn….
