Attendees:

Lesley Clarke                                     – High Wycombe Town Councillor & Fairtrade supporter

Shirley Salazar Porras                   – Grecia Fair Trade Town (Organizer and Host)

Marvin Olviedo                                 – General Manager CoopeVictoria

Mariella                                                – General Manager (Deputy) CoopeVictoria

Esteban Zamora                               – Commercial Manager CoopeVictoria (English speaker)

Daylin Frances Anchia                   – Sustainability Manager, CoopeVictoria (English speaker)

Grettel Aragon Ramirez                 – Executive Director – Grecia Chamber of Commerce

Mike King                                            – Chairman, Wycombe For Fairtrade

Claudia Mangoldt                            – Interpreter

Online Meeting Summary

This was the first meeting of Grecia and High Wycombe Mayors, Grecia and Wycombe Fairtrade Towns groups, and the managers of CoopeVictoria for nearly 3 years, and provided an excellent opportunity for the new mayors and new personnel at CoopeVictoria to meet each other for the first time and regenerate our partnership.

The online Teams conference was conducted in a very informal, friendly, open, and respectful atmosphere. Despite some technical glitches at the start, there was ample time for everyone to introduce themselves – name, role, and interests. Claudia Mangoldt kindly acted as translator between the Grecia and Wycombe delegations. Sadly, two people from WFTO/CLAC who were invited, including Maria Angela Zamor Chaves who used to work for CoopeVictoria, were unavailable.

The Grecia Mayor, Donald Quesada welcomed everyone and together with the CoopeVictoria managers, thanked the High Wycombe mayors and Wycombe For Fairtrade for their continued interest, support, and motivation in continuing this Fair-Trade Town relationship and in promoting Grecia and CoopeVictoria Fairtrade products. The Grecia Mayor extended invitations to all the Wycombe members to visit Costa Rica and Grecia in particular. This was echoed by all the CoopeVictoria managers too! Majid reciprocated by inviting the Grecia Mayor and the senior managers of CoopeVictoria to visit High Wycombe as well. This was an introductory meeting essentially which took some months to organize to set dates and times that would be convenient for all participants.

Personally, it was very gratifying to reconnect with Marvin Olviedo and Shirley Salazar who I met when Sheena and I visited Grecia in 2022. It was also satisfying to finally meet and talk with Donald Quesada Rodriguez, the new mayor of Grecia as well as two new CoopeVictoria senior managers, Daylin and Esteban., both fluent English speakers and very approachable.

Analysis

• Re-established contact with Grecia Mayor, Grecia Fair Trade, and CoopeVictoria senior management.
• Grecia is High Wycombe’s Fairtrade Partner Town with informal links starting in 2018 and formally ratified in May 2020.
• This constructive meeting demonstrated that the High Wycombe Grecia relationship was still strong and there was mutual interest to continue to develop this partnership into the future involving some possible joint projects, so further cementing our links.
• This partnership between High Wycombe and Grecia Fairtrade Towns also includes CoopeVictoria, a 3000 – farmer Fairtrade coffee and sugar producer cooperative.
• It was agreed that Esteban Zamora would in the next 3 weeks set up a Teams meeting with me (and any other interested Wycombe For Fairtrade group member) to discuss a project to engage with local coffee roasters and independent cafes, to sample CoopeVictoria Fairtrade coffee beans.
• Daylin Achin, the Sustainability Manager, was also keen to re-establish a link between a High Wycombe and Grecia secondary school. According to her email reply, she will arrange a Teams meeting to discuss a plan within the next three weeks. Daylin was supportive of the idea to engage with young people and promote Fairtrade through education.
• Judging by the numbers of senior CoopeVictoria managers present in the meeting and the Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Grettel Aragon Ramirez, Grecia value and appreciate the partnership with High Wycombe highly and Wycombe For Fairtrade’s continuing promotion of Grecia and the Fairtrade Cooperative. Our motivation and openness were also noted and mentioned.
• The Grecia Team seemed to be impressed that Wycombe For Fairtrade was hoping to formerly link up with the Fairtrade Town of Kelkheim in Germany this year. Kelkheim and High Wycombe have been Twin Towns for over 40 years.
• This online meeting, which was recorded by CoopeVictoria/Grecia Fairtrade was vital in updating our contact with our partner town and provides evidence of our international links with a Fairtrade Town in the Global South, in addition to continuing Wycombe Foir Fairtrade’s connection with a Fairtrade certified producer.

Mike King
Chairman, Wycombe For Fairtrade

Kelkheim Rathaus. Committee Room. Sat 25^th 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 40^th 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 30^th October 2025

Two members of the Wycombe For Fairtrade Steering Group have been invited by the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica and the Ambassador of Costa Rica to attend a “Commemorative Plaque Unveiling Ceremony” at St Katherine’s Dock in London on Sunday 15th September 2024. This date marks the Anniversary of Costa Rican Independence.

Steering group chairman, Mike King, said “This is a great honour for us and for Wycombe For Fairtrade generally. I also think it shows that the Embassy hold us in high esteem.”

The reason for the “Commemorative Plaque” unveiling is to showcase the 160th anniversary of the achievement of William Le Lacheur, a Guernsey-born sea captain, entrepreneur, and humanitarian, who brought the first of many consignments of coffee from Costa Rica to London’s St Katherine’s Dock beginning in 1864.”

See https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/23369082.high-wycombe-ambassador-costa-rica-visits-highcrest-academy/

Day 6 Weds 18^th May 2022 – Early Afternoon

Visit to Grecia Cathedral

After an excellent lunch on the veranda at the CoopeVictoria Cafeteria, Mike and Sheena King were driven by Marie Angela to Grecia centre where we met Nora Suarez, the Deputy Mayor of Grecia, and Shirley from Grecia Fair Trade Committee, who showed us around the beautiful Roman Catholic Cathedral (Iglesia de la Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes), which is made entirely from sheet steel.

 Caption: Sheena, Maria Angela, Shirley, and Nora Suarez in the central aisle looking towards the main entrance.

Caption: Interior of Grecia Cathedral looking towards central altarpiece.

The bright red house of worship was built in the late 19th century out of plates of imported Belgian steel. The separate plates have been plainly riveted together and the whole building painted red.  Given the odd make-up of the building, several legends regarding the reasons behind the church’s construction have appeared over the years. One zany theory is that the church, having been imported from Europe, was meant for Greece, but got sent to the slightly similar sounding town of Grecia. Another story says that it was meant for Chile but, due to bureaucratic quicksand, the building simply settled in Grecia. However, the truth behind the building would seem to be the one answer no one wants to believe: that the church was simply purchased by the local government and a group of investors.

Caption: Beautiful Cathedral side chapel altarpiece containing many carvings and statues.

Caption: Looking back to main Cathedral entrance with organ loft and lovely stained-glass windows giving good idea of scale.

The Cathedral is located in the centre of the town in front of the park and a pond. It is the focal point of Grecia and is as imposing as it is impressive. The interior of the Cathedral is just as impressive as the exterior, with beautiful stained-glass windows, icons, and alters with carved figures and statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus.

Caption: Grecia Cathedral interior with many carvings, icons and relics devoted to various saints.

Farewells: Municipal Council Chamber and Tour of Grecia Municipal Market

We returned to the Grecia Municipal Council Chamber to say our fond farewells to Nora and Shirley. They gave Mike and Sheena King gifts including a superbly baked cake and a bag of gifts for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of High Wycombe. Mike was interviewed along with Marie Angela by the local newspaper report and live radio broadcast. After coffee and pastries, we were also shown a couple of videos by the Grecia Municipal Market Manager of the town as well as the historic indoor market.

Indoor Market

Nora, Shirley, Marie Angela, and the Market Manager then gave us an interesting tour of the famous indoor covered market. This had been going for over 100 years and currently was occupied by 94 small, family-run, independent stallholders selling local, homemade products such as food, clothes, shoes, crafts, snacks, and artisanal goods based on local crafts. Large supermarkets and chain stores were banned from this area. There were many interesting murals adorning the tiled walls and passages in the market interior. The local craftsmen and artists had created some inspiring and beautiful depictions of Costa Rican wildlife, animals, birds, forests, and water scenes, as well as depicting historic crafts reflecting the local indigenous culture.

The covered market was open 6 days a week with around 1500 people during weekdays rising to 5,500 visitors on Saturdays. Our impression was of a thriving market providing a good meeting place for the local community as well as offering good quality organic food at reasonable price in the “sopas” (snack bars and mini store).  

Day 6 Weds 18^th May 2022  Morning – Visit to the FANAL Sugar Cane Distillation Plant

Marie Angela, Greg, and Andres from CoopeVictoria, Sheena, and Mike toured the FANAL sugar cane distillation plant just outside Grecia town, at the invitation of the former Mayor of Grecia, Mainor Molina.

FANAL is a state-owned and managed plant. The plant manager showed us around this interesting and fascinating distillery that extracts methanol from liquid heated from sugar cane liquor, converting it into a range of products, mainly Cacique, a Costa Rican 40% proof rum. Interestingly, Cacique was only allowed to be sold for public consumption within the boarders of Costa Rica only and was not for export.

Caption: FANAL plant. Storage takes containing 2 million liters of sugar cane liquor.

Caption: Heated distilled cane liquour condenses and captured according to alcholol level. 40% proof for Cacique, 90% proof is piped to holding tanks for the health industry.

After the methanol has been extracted by heating the sugar cane alcohol and cooling the steam through heat exchangers, the 94% proof alcohol was diluted down to 40%. Then, the cooled rum goes by a series of pipes to the bottling plant. The remaining industrial strength alcohol was transferred to giant storage tanks awaiting collection by road tankers for transport to processing plants that utilized the 90%+ strength alcohol that was used to make surgical wipes and anti-bacterial hand gels. These gels and wipes were and still are widely used during the global Covid outbreak and in the post Corona virus era.

Caption: Bottling plant production line new bottles being filled with Cacique.

Caption: Filled bottles move on to the capping machine for their tops.

We all received gifts of our visit which included bags, baseball caps advertising Cacique, as well as a liter bottle of rum each. Some of CoopeVictoria’s sugar cane was used by FANAL in its processing.

Caption: FANAL plant director with Mainor Molia, a former Mayor of Grecia.

Caption: End of the production line. Bottles are packed 12 to a box for distribution across Costa Rica.

Day 5 Tuesday 17^th May 2022 – Afternoon

Visit and Tour of the Colegio Experimental Bilingue de Grecia

After an excellent lunch as guests of UNAGUAS, Maria drove us to the Liceo Experimental Bilingue de Grecia, where we were greeted by three final year geography students, Lester, Adrianna, and Viorela, whose command of English and manners were impeccable. They showed us around the whole school, including two ongoing English classes, where Mike was invited to talk to the pupils in English describing life in England and his observations on Costa Rica. So important is English, that the timetable allocates 14 hours per week for each student to learn English, compared to only 4 hours per week for Spanish lessons and 3 hours per week for French! The school seemed very well appointed with classrooms and positive posters and slogans on the walls advocating effort and achievement. There was a bias towards the arts, languages, and social sciences. However, there seemed to be a shortage of computers and a lack of science labs.

Laura Chaves, the Academic Director, also accompanied us around the school. Mike and Sheena were introduced to the school principal, who welcomed us in Spanish and was very complementary about the recent partnership between the Highcrest Academy in High Wycombe where 6^th form Geography pupils were having joint Zoom lessons with teachers in Grecia and Highcrest and vice versa.  Some of the pupils had establish email “pen pals” with fellow pupils in High Wycombe.

After the tour, we were invited to the staff room where we had drinks and homemade plain and cheese tortillas, as well as gluten and sugar free snacks. Maria even met one of her former English teachers. Mike told the pupils and staff in Spanish what Colette Barker, the Head of Geography at Highcrest Academy, had reported about the benefits to teachers and pupils, of the initial partnership with the Colegio Experimental Bilingue de Grecia. Colette hoped that this liaison would continue through the following academic year. Lester then told us of his positive experiences linking with a pupil from Highcrest Academy who had similar interests to Lester.

There was even time for a photo opportunity with Mike and Sheena King from Wycombe For Fairtrade, Colegio pupils Lester, Adrianna, and Viorela, Maria Angela from CoopeVictoria, Laura Chaves, the Academic Director, and the English Teacher from the Liceo.

We were made to feel extremely welcome at the school. Mike and Sheena King were particularly impressed by the pupils and by the positive learning experiences and encouragement which permeated through the school. Our 2-hour visit seemed to flash by, and it was time to say our “farewells” and express our thanks to our friendly hosts at the Liceo.

Caption: Maria Angela’s photo of Mike and Sheena King with the pupil guides, Lester, Adrianna, and Fiorella to their left. On the extreme left-hand side is Laura Chaves, the Deputy Academic Director at the Liceo and the lead link teacher with Highcrest Academy in High Wycombe. Maria Angela is on the extreme left with an old English teacher.