Fairtrade Devon archive

Below is a selection of activities that have taken place in Devon related to Fairtrade and in particular those taking place during Fairtrade fortnight. For a list of events and activities planned in Devon for Fairtrade fortnight 2010 visit the Events page.

Fairtrade producer Nicholas Adjei-Gyan attended a staggering 36 events in Devon and beyond during Fairtrade fortnight. Nicholas is the Research and Development Manager with Fairtrade cooperative Kuapa Kokoo, a Ghanaian Fairtrade cocoa farmer’s co-operative that incorporates 45,000 farmers. The cooperative also now owns nearly half of the shares of Divine Chocolate Ltd.

Nicholas attended events at schools, universities, town halls, community centres, churches, libraries and cafes to talk about how Fairtrade has benefited local communities in Ghana.

Nicholas was very enthusiastic about his visit to Devon:

"I was very impressed with how the entire programme was organised and how eager individuals and groups were to see me. It is encouraging to see how many people are willing to give their time and resources to make Fairtrade sales grow in both Devon & the UK."

Nicholas was very positive about the hospitality he received and particularly with the quality of the food he was given (Fairtrade where possible of course!)

Nicholas was impressed with how the knowledge of Fairtrade has increased compared to 1999, his last visit to the UK, and the readiness of the media to assist in spreading the important messages on Fairtrade.

Nicholas identified talking to school children as a particular highlight of his visit. As well as answering their very thoughtful questions, he got them chanting a favourite greeting and response among cocoa farmers in Ghana. He said 'Kuapa Kokoo' ("Good Cocoa Farmers Company") and the children responded 'Pa Pa Paa!' (“the best of the best”).

Further information

For more about how the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative has benefited farmers in Ghana watch an interview with Nicholas from the co-operative tv site

There are also two power point presentations to view. A presentation by Nicholas given to groups he visited during his stay and some images of the various groups and events Nicholas visited.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 in Devon was a great success!

School children, café-goers and community groups around Devon all got involved in the annual two week event. There were opportunities not only to taste delicious Fairtrade food but also to meet some of its producers and hear about how Fairtrade has improved their lives.

Arsene Sourabi, a mango producer from Burkina Faso, and Palestinian olive farmer Riziq Abu Nasser attended over 40 events around Devon to promote the benefits of Fairtrade. They visited schools, town halls, cafés and churches across the county, as well as taking their messages to a wider audience through ITV West country, BBC Radio Devon and local newspapers.

Their visits marked the first Fairtrade Fortnight since Devon achieved Fairtrade status as a county last October, completing a successful campaign led by the Global Centre. As well as finding out more about Fairtrade, audiences were treated to Fairtrade dried mango pieces from Burkina Faso, fresh Palestinian olive oil and Za`atar, a mix of thyme and sesame seeds traditionally eaten with pitta bread.

Arsene, who works for a Fairtrade cooperative exporting dried mango and cashew nuts to Europe, told audiences that Fairtrade was “a kind of aid to end all aid.” The average person in Burkina Faso earns just over £600 a year, but selling their produce through Fairtrade has enabled people to trade their way out of poverty.

Riziq Abu Nasser was keen to celebrate the recent launch of the world’s first Fairtrade-labeled olive oil.

“The process of marketing olive oil through Fairtrade has made me optimistic. In Palestine farmers have complicated problems. But, with Fairtrade, I feel that, as a farmer, there is a solution for every problem that we have,” he said.

Riziq used to receive only £1 per kilogram for his olives, far short of the £3.50 production costs. However, by selling through Zaytoun, a wholesaler that recently received Fairtrade certification, now receives around £4.50 per kilo of olives.

Laura Conyngham, a Fairtrade campaigner who took Riziq to events around Crediton attended by around 880 people, said that his visit was “utterly fantastic.”

“Meeting a Fairtrade farmer is astonishingly real. No amount of Traidcraft Talks from me can achieve the same impact. Riziq clearly liked children and they sensed this. They were hugely enthusiastic, spontaneously applauded him after his song at the end of assembly at Queen Elizabeth Community College, waved and cheered as he left the building,” she said.

Veteran BBC newscaster and Fairtrade Foundation patron George Alagiah also visited Devon during the fortnight. In a packed full-day programme he spoke with local employers, school and university students, local Lord mayors and MPs, local faith groups and Fairtrade campaigners. He spoke about how Fairtrade can transform communities in producer countries and how workplaces, places of worship and schools, colleges and Universities have an important role to play both in promoting Fairtrade and purchasing Fairtrade products.

For an article with photos by a Coombeshead College student on the visit by George Alagiah to her school click here.

Arsene Sourabi works for a company in Burkina Faso producing dried mango, which is then sold under the Fairtrade label. This guarantees that supermarkets and consumers in rich countries pay a fair price for the goods. Burkina Faso has one of the lowest average incomes in the world, with the average person earning just over £600 a year, but Fairtrade offers people the chance to trade their way out of poverty.

"All Creatures Great and Small" star Carol Drinkwater launched a Fairtrade olive tree project in Devon and Palestine in 2009.

Actress turned author and olive farmer Carol Drinkwater joined Christian Aid, churches and Fairtrade campaigners around Devon to launch a project supporting Palestinian farmers struggling to cope with the destruction of their olive trees. Click here for details.

Ugandan Fairtrade tea producer, Martin Odoch, visited Devon for Fairtrade Fortnight 2008

Cocoa farmers visited Exeter to tell story of how Divine Fairtrade chocolate helps to make their world go round

Divine Chocolate, the leading Fairtrade company co-owned by the Kuapa Kokoo farmers' cooperative in Ghana hosted two members of Kuapa to join them in England, Wales and Ireland for Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 (25th February - 9th March).

To celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight this year, its organiser the Fairtrade Foundation, and many Fairtrade steering groups, schools, businesses, retailers and organisations created an exciting and diverse programme of events that were bigger than ever. Divine Chocolate and the two Kuapa farmers were delighted to have been invited. On 28th February they visited Exeter, first stop was the West of England School for a Fairtrade schools conference, then they did a radio interview with Exeter FM and then attended the Global Centre Fairtrade celebrations in the evening where they presented to a large group! To read more about their trip and especially their visit to Exeter please visit:
KUAPA KOKOO FARMERS JOURNEY

Divine Chocolate has toured every year for the past six years with cocoa farmers during Fairtrade Fortnight, and 2008 was the first time the farmers who visited were men! Their roles as Recorders are key to the structure and organisation of Kuapa Kokoo - they are elected as trusted fellow-farmers to weigh the cocoa accurately and pay farmers the right price accordingly. Each year thousands of people in the UK have had the chance to hear farmers speak and hear firsthand the impact of Fairtrade, and hundreds of them have had the chance to speak to the farmers in person.

Fairtrade party at festival's relaunch

Tiverton's relaunched, month-long cultural festival was kicked off in style on 3 rd May 2008 with a street party to celebrate the town's gaining of Fairtrade Status.

As well as stalls selling Fairtrade goods, a juggler and performances from Tiverton Town Band and local majorettes all made for an exciting atmosphere in Phoenix Lane. Mayor of Tiverton, Cllr Kevin Wilson, accepted the official certificate from members of the steering group who had helped to achieve Fairtrade Status for the town. The event also acted as a curtain-raiser for almost 100 different events taking place over the next four weeks as part of Tivvy Fest.

In granting the status to Tiverton, the Fairtrade Foundation said: "It is wonderful to see such a large variety of workplaces supporting the campaign and particularly encouraging to see a number of bed and breakfasts making Fairtrade products available to visitors".

Alison Rice, chairman of the town's Fairtrade support group, said: "I am delighted so many people in the town use Fairtrade products that we have been able to achieve Fairtrade status for Tiverton.

"It doesn't just stop now that we have Fairtrade status. We have to be reassessed in a year's time and we will be working to promote Fairtrade within the business community. We want to put together a directory of businesses where people can buy Fairtrade in Tiverton, and set up a website".

Mrs Rice said as well as the town council, the group had also worked closely with East Devon College, organising a Fairtrade lunch in the college restaurant during the recent Fairtrade Fortnight.

The college is now hoping to achieve Fairtrade college status and Mrs Rice said the group would be keen to support the college in any way it could.

The idea to try and secure Fairtrade status for Tiverton first came from the women's group Tiverton Soroptimists. One of its members, Cllr Karen Abbott, asked Tiverton Town Council to back the idea in April last year.

Soroptimist International of Tiverton produced and distributed nearly 200 questionnaires to assess the use of Fairtrade products among Tiverton businesses, including retailers, catering outlets and wholesalers.

For more information please feel free to contact Alison Rice at: dandarice@sosi.net