Kelkheim Rathaus. Committee Room. Sat 25th October 2025 1.30pm to 2.30pm.
Attendees
Christine Michel (Kelkheim Fairtrade Town Deputy Chair and Councillor)
Her daughter (Translator)
4 Other Kelkheim Steering Group members.
Sheena King (Wycombe For Fairtrade – Treasurer)
Mike King (Wycombe For Fairtrade – Chairman)
Introductions
Sheena and I were warmly welcomed to Kelkheim and presented with bags of Fairtrade Kelkheim coffee, sourced from Brazil, but roasted locally.
Photographs of Individuals
Kelheim Powerpoint Presentation
Christine showed us a Powerpoint presentation highlighting when Kelkheim became a Fairtrade Town in 2018, its local achievements, events, and activities, as well as belonging to the Main-Taunus Fairtrade Region where other towns in the area provide tips, ideas, and assist with stalls such as the “clothing exchange”. Kelkheim is also an active member of the ECCAR organization, the European Coalition of Cities Against Racism.
Photographs of Musicians
Kelkheim Fairtrade Promotional Events 2025
There is an annual Fairtrade Week as well as a Town Festival Day with information stands and a “knitted sofa”.
Creating a Fairtrade “Children’s Café” where youngsters can learn about “The Journey of Fairtrade Bananas” in a playful way of understanding how farmers grow them, export them, and how to recognize Fairtrade bananas on supermarket shelves by the Fairtrade logo. The event also includes competitions to draw the Fairtrade logo together with giving a Fairtrade present to the parents.
There are also regular Fairtrade cake sales with proceeds going to local good causes.
Kelkheim Fairtrade also support a regular Saturday “Repair Café” to underpin their sustainability interests.
Twice a year, the Group supervises a clothes and Christmas decoration exchange stall. No money changes hands, just the clothes and decorations. Young people are invited to volunteer.
They tend not to run too many Fairtrade food stalls, preferring people utilize the fairtrade grocery and retail stores in Kelkheim.
The Kelkheim Fairtrade Town group are very innovative. During the Fairtrade Festival in 2025, members devised 26 different varieties of Fairtrade soup, each with several Fairtrade ingredients. Each member makes 10 to 20 liters, with guests and visitors voting for the best soup. Fairtrade cakes are sold to recoup expenses for the soup, with some money being donated to local charities. The winner this year was a scampi soup, very popular with the children. Over 1000 people came to the all-day long soup tasting event. This seemed to be a great idea to promote Fairtrade across age groups but also to prompt adults to think about Fairtrade products and ingredients in a range of everyday recipes.
Photographs of Groups
Kelkheim Fairtrade Organizations
Grocery and Retail Stores x 8
Restaurants and Cafes x 2
Education Institutions x 7
Clubs x 3
Kelkheim Municipal Government – Procurement
Sustainable Partner Organizations
Catholic Churches
President of the State Parliament of Hesse
Kelkheim’s Plans for 2026
Frankfurt has been selected to host the Annual Democracy and Diversity for Everyone Event featuring over 1000 separate events during 2026. Kelkheim is hosting a Crocheting display and visitors’ skills day. This will also involve schools and sports clubs’ competitions, some with Fairtrade themes.
Kelkheim is also planning a “Fairtrade Bake Off”, devising as many recipes as possible using Fairtrade certified ingredients like chocolate, sugar, and nuts.
Wycombe For Fairtrade: Past Events and Future Plans
Mike King outlined some of Wycombe For Fairtrade’s past events and future plans – locally, nationally, and internationally. I think that Kelkheim Fairtrade members were impressed with our work with local schools, the local university, the strong link with the Embassy of Costa Rica, and the Fairtrade Town Partnership with Grecia and CoopeVictoria in Costa Rica and coffee project.
Kelkheim – High Wycombe Fairtrade Town Partnership Agreement – Draft Proposal
Kelkheim Fairtrade Town are already twined with a French Fairtrade town near Lyon.
At the end of this very positive, constructive, and mutually productive meeting, Mike King distributed copies in both English and German for the Kelkheim Fairtrade Town Steering Group to consider a suggested draft proposal for a Kelkheim – High Wycombe Fairtrade Town Partnership Agreement based on the Fairtrade principles of friendship, understanding, and cooperation.
Such an agreement would be in addition too, but separate from, the “Twin Town Agreement between High Wycombe and Kelkheim”, which was ratified in 1985. Thus this visit was celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Twin Town Agreement. Our very generous hosts, Klaus and Rossvite Fahrner, were also members of the Kelkheim Fairtrade Steering Group.
Mike and Sheena King
Chairman and Treasurer
Thursday 30th October 2025