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