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| Latest news Ugandan Fairtrade tea producer, Martin Odoch, visited Devon for Fairtrade Fortnight 2008
To
see highlights of Martin's visit please go to the events
page Cocoa farmers visited Exeter to tell story of how Divine Fairtrade chocolate helps to make their world go round
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: 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
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
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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).
Tiverton's relaunched, month-long cultural festival was kicked off in style on 3 rd May with a street party to celebrate the town's gaining of Fairtrade Status.