Trade
You can rest assured that this chapter has been ethically produced and made in the fairest of conditions. Although, as we've had contributions from Katherine and Jocelyn in Canada, we can't claim that all the ingredients were locally sourced.
Here's what we've put together:
Otesha UK Handbook - Trade Chapter
Click on this link to download the chapter (as a PDF) onto your desktop. We published this in April 2008, but it's not the final edit.
Now it's your turn:
Send over your stories, ideas and general inklings about trade. We'll find your stories in our inbox we'll put them up here for the world to enjoy.
In the Autumn of 2008, we'll gather up the best of your submissions and include them when we send this to a real life grown-up publisher to turn into an actual physical book.
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Your stories
Smiles, names and red berries
Here's Geneviève Ayotte's story about how she got into Fairtrade coffee:
I learned about Fairtrade coffee a few years ago, but it took awhile before I realized that I could buy it in the public domain. Eventually, I started ordering Fairtrade coffee when it was available. Did I ever really wonder where coffee came from? Who had held in their hands the beans that were roasted and grinded before they were infused in my beverage?
Three years ago I was in Honduras for a cooperation project. The mother and children of the family hosting me were working on a mountain picking coffee. I asked if I could accompany them.
We woke up around 4 AM. Guiermina, my host mother, prepared lunch for us: red beans, rice and tortillas. I put on a sweater because it was chilly. I was also told I could catch ticks so I wore trainers and long pants. They were wearing thongs, t-shirts and knee-length skirts. Later I would see barefooted kids gathering the fruits. As we were climbing, more women and children and a few men were heading toward the coffee plantation. I found it challenging to climb over rocks and on sinuous paths. I had to stop and catch my breath regularly. It was dark, like a night in the mountain can be. I was the only person with a flashlight and I still managed to fall on the ground and hurt my knee. We picked coffee beans all day, stopping only for lunch. Now that I think about it, there must be quite a lot of chemicals on those trees. We were leaving full pouches of beans along our path. Some ‘strong men’ were following to carry those super heavy pouches on their shoulder. Those ‘strong men’’ were sometimes 12 or 13 years old. I heard that someone who is quick and experienced can make around 70 Lempiras in one day - around £2.00.
Later I got to know what incredible people Guiermina and her children Karen, Alexander and Elixa were. We shared tons of smiles, laughs, stories, and sincere separation tears.
While I was harvesting those little red fruits, I was really hoping I could change the situation. Something was not right. But the only thing I could do was promise myself I would never buy a non-Fairtrade coffee again. When I would drink coffee, I would consider where it came from. I would think about Guiermina, her family and the thousands of other smiles and laughs and names that coffee represents, just like anything that comes from far away.
Now I barely drink coffee at all, because I think it is a luxury product. I advocate for fair trading anytime I have a chance. And I still think of my ‘’other’’ family frequently.