www.fairtradecertified.org

"We have to choose between a global market driven only by calculations of short-term profit, and one which has a human face."

--Kofi Annan

New partners in Fair Trade
as of 10/20/03

Coffee:
Coffee Klatch Roasting — San Dimas, CA
Coffee Masters -
Spring Grove, IL
Great Plains Coffee —
Sioux Falls, SD
Aroma Coffee of Santa Fe Santa Fe, NM
Armeno Coffee Roasters Northborough, MA
The Coffee Grounds —
Eau Claire, WI
The Coffee Connection — Knoxville, IA

Cocoa and Chocolate:
E.B. Botanicals —
Wayne, NJ

Fair Trade and the Media
Fair Trade was covered in numerous media channels this past month including The Christian Science Monitor, Reuters, The Financial Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Natural Foods Merchandiser, Chicago Sun, Miami Herald and many more. For a complete listing, see: Fair Trade News.

Invite a local roaster to your café to educate your staff on cupping and coffee quality. It’s more than just a cup of joe, it's an art!

FLO Update
BBC Newscaster, George Alagiah, meets with two tea workers from a Fair Trade estate in Sri Lanka.	FLO Forum Highlights Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International, the world-wide umbrella organization of Fair Trade, held its second annual forum in London on September 9th-12th, 2003. Three hundred people from over sixty countries met to exchange information, review policy issues, and in particular, discuss the strategic directions for Fair Trade. The Forum brought together representatives of Fair Trade producer and commercial organizations, licensees, national Fair Trade labeling organizations such as TransFair USA, and other organizations involved in Fair Trade.
Board members were elected and announced, including Rick Peyser of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Thanks to all of you who participated in this important event. For more information about FLO, the Forum and the FLO Board, visit www.fairtrade.net. TransFair visits FLO TransFair USA's Certification Manager, Christopher Himes, visited FLO at their offices in Bonn, Germany recently where he gave a presentation to all FLO staffers on the rapid growth of Fair Trade in the US. The main goal of the visit was to continue to foster strong communication between TransFair USA and FLO. Chris reported, "It was a great success on all fronts. We exchanged rich anecdotes from the field which always brings us closer to our common mission."

Cooperative Close-Up: CESMACH, Mexico
CESMACH is a coffee cooperative situated in the southern highlands of Chiapas, Mexico within the buffer zone of the El Triunfo Biosphere. El Triunfo is an area of great ecological importance because its unique ecosystems are home to a vast quantity of rare and endangered plant and animal species.

CESMACH members are deeply committed to protecting their natural surroundings. Fair Trade has provided them with the financial support they need to implement sustainable agriculture practices such as organic farming and to invest in a variety of social programs, including an education fund for children of cooperative members and a savings program. "We hope to increase our participation in the Fair Trade market by contacting more roasters and importers,” says co-op member Sixto Bonilla, “so that we all can benefit from the additional income."

Green Mountain Introduces Fair Trade Certified™ "Better World Hot Cocoa"
Just in time for those cold winter months, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has introduced a Fair Trade Certified organic hot chocolate mix. This tasty new drink is available online or through the GMCR catalog.

The Fair Trade cocoa beans used in the mix were grown by a cooperative of cocoa farmers in the Dominican Republic, who use the income from Fair Trade to invest in plant nurseries so that farmer members can grow their own food. Green Mountain's Fair Trade hot cocoa launch is part of a growing trend by roasters who want to leverage their Fair Trade coffee success by expanding to other products. To find out how to start offering Fair Trade Certified hot cocoa and chocolate bars as part of your product line, contact cocoa@transfairusa.org.

Online Form is Launched to Monitor Use of "Fair Trade Certified™" and Label
TransFair has launched an online monitoring form in an effort to protect our partners who comply with the certification system, as well as the consumers who rely on its integrity. In some cases, businesses that are not TransFair USA licensees use the term "Fair Trade Certified" or our label; in other cases, TransFair licensees may use the term or label incorrectly.

Please give us a hand! Let us know if you see the term "Fair Trade Certified" or the Fair Trade Certified label displayed incorrectly or in a way that might confuse or mislead consumers. To view the form, visit Label Abuse. If you have further questions please notify Christopher Himes, TransFair’s Certification Manager, at: Chris@transfairusa.org.

To sign up or to send feedback on the TransFair Buzz, please email us. We'd love to hear from you!