Visit to Carlos’ organic Fairtrade Coffee and Sugar Cane Farm

Carlos was an experienced and much-respected organic Fairtrade coffee and sugar cane small-owner farmer, who also sat on the Board of CoopeVictoria. He showed us around and explained the cultivation of the coffee and sugar cane as well as the production of high-quality avocadoes, sold to local supermarkets and for home consumption as additional income.

Coffee: Carlos grew 3 varieties of Fair-Trade certified organic coffee from Costa Rica, Brazil, and Peru. Some varieties were grown under shade trees, but other varieties responded to direct sunlight. Most of his coffee, roasted by CoopeVictoria, was sold on Fairtrade terms for export only. This was mainly grown on volcanic soil on hillsides and slopes.

Sugar cane: This was grown on the flatter land to enable machinery to operate. However, much of the sugar cane was cut by hand using machetes in harvest season. The 9- or 10-foot sugar cane stalks are crushed at the CoopeVictoria sugar mill and sold for export, mostly on Fair-Trade terms. His organic Fairtrade sugar cane once pulped goes to an alcohol factory to be distilled into the local Cacique, a 30% proof Costa Rican rum.

Polycane: Carlos was experimenting with growing and harvesting a new method of extracting a fine white powder emanating from the joints in the cane stalks. Polycane will be refined at the CoopeVictoria mill and has a very low cholesterol level and is high in sweetness. It is then sold on for alcohol production at the FANAL factory for further refining to be used in making rum (30% proof Cacique) or distilled further to remove the methanol for use in hand sanitizers and gels. An agronomist and plant researcher has patented the extraction process and initial independent reach findings suggest this low cholesterol sugar will be very useful in the carbonated drinks industry to reduce the sugar levels in Coca-Cola and Pepsi. The patent holder wants CoopeVictoria to produce “Polycane” in vast quantities and they are already having discussions with cola and carbonated drink producers. Polycane is very sweet, so one needs far less than ordinary granulated sugar in drinks.

Avacados:  Carlos grows several varieties of high-quality avocados as a diverse income stream. He sells these to local supermarkets, homedelivery and for farm gate direct sale. His organic avocadoes are highly valued, are sold locally and are NOT Fairtrade certified.

Other crops: – Carlos produces a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs for home consumption but also for medicinal purposes. He grows his own lemons for home consumption, and having sampled some, it is the finest lemonade I have ever sampled. Carlos is staring to supply some independent local supermarkets with his fruit and vegetables which helps to diversify his income stream.

Mike King

15^th July 2022

Day 3 Sunday 15^th May 2022 – Afternoon – Visit to La Paz Waterfall

Maria Angela and Henry then took us to visit the La Paz Waterfalls not far from the Poas Volcano.

Caption: View of La Paz Waterfall with road bridge in foreground giving an idea of the scale of the falls.

Set in dense cloud forest and jungle, the La Paz Waterfall looked even more impressive after the recent heavy rains.

Caption: The whole of La Paz Waterfalls from vantage point overlooking bridge. There is a trail on the left of the falls through the jungle to the top of La Paz Falls.

Caption: People up close and personal with the lower part of La Paz Waterfall.

The water of this river is extracted and used for drinking water in the city of Grecia as well as being used by CoopeVictoria to wash the coffee cherries and green beans.

Caption: Lower part of La Paz Waterfall even more impressive after recent heavy rains.

The volcanic rock and springs provide a natural filtration system, so very little chlorine is added to the water to kill off bacteria.

Caption: Force and volume of water creating a mist at the bottom of the falls.

A mist started to form over the lower part of La Paz Waterfall when we were there. Later the sun came out and revealed a small rainbow.

Caption: Our hosts at La Paz Waterfall. Maria Angela Zamor Chaves, Sustainability Manager at CoopeVictoria, with her husband Henry.

International Fair Trade Day Saturday 14^th May 2022. Afternoon. Day 2

Continuing the theme ofInternational Fair-Trade Day, Mike and Sheena King were invited to attend a formal welcome to the Municipality of Grecia in a marquee outside the Municipal Building in central Grecia.

From 2.00pm, there were speeches of welcome from the Director of CoopeVictoria, Shirley, the Coordinator of Grecia Fairtrade Town, the Mayor of Grecia, Francisco Murillo, and Nora Suarez, the Deputy Mayor of Grecia, finishing with an exchange of gifts by the Deputy Mayor of Grecia. Mike and Sheena King responded with a bag of gifts for the Grecia Mayors from the Mayors of High Wycombe. Sonia Murillo, representing the Caribbean and Latin American World Fair Trade Organization (CLAC/WFTO), also gave a welcome address. Maria Angela kindly acted as the Spanish to English translator. Mike King, responded in Spanish thanking our gracious hosts on behalf of Wycombe For Fairtrade and the Mayors of High Wycombe.

Caption: Deputy Mayor of Grecia, Nora Suarez, officially welcoming Mike and Sheena King to Grecia in marquee outside the Municipal Building.

Caption: Shirley from the Grecia Fair Trade Group welcoming Mike and Sheena from the partner Fairtrade Town of High Wycombe.

A metal plaque was presented to Mike and Sheena King by Grecia Municipality marking the occasion of the visit and acknowledging the formal friendship and partnership between the two Fairtrade Towns of Grecia and High Wycombe. I thanked our hosts and the Mayor in Spanish and looked forward to further cementing our relationship at Mayoral level, Fairtrade group level, and through uniting two schools, the Colegio Experimental Bilingue de Grecia and Highcrest Academy in Micklefield which had engaged in joint Zoom “A” level Geography classes.

Caption: Welcoming dignitaries, Francisco Murillo nearest, Mayor, Manual Chaves in check shirt, President of CoopeVictoria, and Sonia Murillo, Costa Rica – Panama Small Producers Association, seated far right.

Francisco Murillo, his wife, and sons wining and dining Mike and Sheena King at his home on International Fair Trade Day evening.

Further collaborative work involved researching, compiling, and writing an academic paper on “Systems, Solidarity, and Fairtrade”, as well as endeavouring to encourage a microroaster or an independent coffee roaster in the UK to roast a batch of CoopeVictoria green beans to produce an organic Fairtrade celebration coffee marking the 3-year Grecia – High Wycombe Fairtrade Town Partnership Agreement. The objective was planned to be achieved by International Fair-Trade Day in May 2023.

Day 2. International Fair Trade Day Saturday 14^th May 2022. Morning. Grecia Farmers’ Market.

Mike and Sheena King participated in promoting CoopeVictoria, the Fairtrade coffee and sugar cane cooperative, the Fairtrade Town of Grecia, and the links with the UK Fairtrade Town of High Wycombe in the UK at the Farmers’ Market on International Fair Trade Day.

At 8.00 pm, Marie Angela Zamora Chaves and her husband Henry kindly drove us from our hotel to the Farmer’s Market on the outskirts of Grecia where CoopeVictoria and Grecia Fairtrade had a permanent stall. It was important that Mike and Sheena King were present at the International Fair Trade Day 2022 in Grecia to celebrate the significance of Fair Trade to producers like CoopeVictoria, and supporting councils like the Municipality of Grecia. The Farmers’ Market is open every Friday and Saturday.

Caption: The Farmers’ Market in Grecia is open on Fridays and Saturdays selling organic local produce.

Caption: Sheena at the permanent CoopeVictoria – Grecia Fairtrade stand points out the Spanish language banner promoting the partnership between the two Fairtrade Towns of Grecia and High Wycombe.

There were many Fairtrade promotional roller-banners in Spanish, which were set up in good time. Two banners were specifically designed to engage with children, indicating 7 differences and benefits to the farmers and their communities of Fair Trade over conventional Free trade. Children were encouraged identify the differences and mark them with a sticker on the Fair Trade banner. Rewards includes sweets and candy. There were also a series of laminated cards with a question on each about aspects of Fair Trade, to ask adult members of the public passing by. One lady provided an excellent answer and was rewarded with a bag of CoopeVictoria Fairtrade coffee. The undercover market was vast, impressive, and displayed quality fruit, vegetables, and other organic food products.

Caption: Prominent Grecia Town banners, one depicting free market trade with low incomes and opportunities on the right, and the guaranteed income & social benefits of Fair Trade on the left.

The Mayor, Francisco Murillo, and the Deputy Mayor, Nora Suarez, also came to the CoopeVictoria Stall to help support International Fair Trade Day and introduce themselves to Mike and Sheena King. The Grecia Mayors were impressed that Mike and Sheena had devoted 6 days of their Costa Rican holiday to be in Grecia, supporting and promoting our Fairtrade High Wycombe/Grecia Partnership Town. The Spanish language version of the Fairtrade High Wycombe/Grecia Partnership Town Banner was proudly displayed at the CoopeVictoria stand and attracted many glances.

Caption: Grecia Municipality and CoopeVictoria banner demonstrating the advantages of Fair Trade sales to both farmers and the local community.

CoopeVictoria and Grecia Fairtrade Town banners were supplemented by UNAGUAS banners. This was a partner organization promoting sustainability, reforestation, and the supply of community-run freshwater to over 5,500 homes and businesses in Grecia, including CoopeVictoria.

Caption: Fairtrade protects the environment banners produced by CLAC, the Latin American Regional arm of the World Fair Trade Organization advocating more reforestation.

In addition to a permanent stall at the Farmers’ Market, CoopeVictoria also managed a snack bar and small store called a “Sopa”, which sold all the varieties of CoopeVictoria Fairtrade coffees and sugar cane.

Caption: School girl engaging in an education challenge to identify 7 major differences between conventional free trade indicated by red stickers, and the more holistic Fair-Trade farmer benefits.

Caption: Adult shoppers passing the CoopeVictoria stand were given cards with questions relating to Fairtrade. Knowledgeable people received a Fairtrade bag of local coffee.

Caption: The extensive undercover market sold meat, fish, and locally grown fruit and vegetables.

Mike and Sheena King attended a Welcome Meeting in the Board Room with members of CoopeVictoria Senior Management, including the Commercial Director, Juan Manuel Salazar Barrantes, Mariela Pacheco, the Communications Manager, our host Maria Angela Zamora Chavez, the Sustainability Manager, Shirley Salazar, the Coordinator from Grecia Municipality Fairtrade, Andres Gonzales, the Research and Development Director at CoopeVictoria, and Nora Suarez, the Deputy Mayor of Grecia Municipality.

Mike and Sheena King representing Wycombe For Fairtrade and High Wycombe Fairtrade Town were formally welcomed to Grecia and to CoopeVictoria by the Director and senior CoopeVictoria managers including the Commercial Director.

Maria Angela Zamora Chavez then proceeded to give a brief history of the CoopeVictoria Fairtrade organic coffee and sugar cane producer cooperative from its foundation in 1943 up to the present day. There are over 3000 small scale coffee and sugar cane producers who are members of this cooperative in 2022.

Caption: – Board Room welcome meeting for Mike and Sheena King from Wycombe Fairtrade.  Shirley ,from Grecia Fairtrade Municipality, is seated on the left.

Maria also outlined the reasons that Grecia sought a partner town in the Global North and continued to explain some of the joint collaborative work which CoopeVictoria, Grecia, and Wycombe Fairtrade had engaged in since the formal Fairtrade Town Partnership Agreement was signed in April 2020. She also gave an interesting Powerpoint presentation in Spanish outlining future development plans as well as giving Mike and Sheena an itinerary of activities, visits, and events arranged over the next 5 days. Andres Gonzales, the Research & Development Manager of CoopeVictoria, kindly provided an English translation. Prospective plans were also discussed along with the idea of producing a Grecia – High Wycombe Fairtrade Town Celebration Partnership coffee, with CoopeVictoria green beans roasted locally near High Wycombe.

New CoopeVictoria development projects included making their own brand of chocolate bars and selling them locally. They are using cocoa from another cooperative at present and have had the bars certified as Rainforest Alliance but are seeking the higher-level Fairtrade certification in the near future. There are ongoing projects to renew some of the ancient coffee roasting machinery as well as to develop a new refined sugar product called Polycane, which is attracting interest from carbonated and cola manufacturers due to its very low cholesterol levels.

Nora Suarez, the Deputy Mayor of Grecia also warmly welcomed us in Spanish and stated that the mayor and her fellow Municipal Councillors were very grateful to Mike and Sheena King for making the journey from the UK and to be with them over the International Fair Trade Day weekend.

Tour and meal at the recently opened CoopeVictoria Community/Workers Cafeteria

After Maria Angela Zamora Chavez, the Sustainability Manager at CoopeVictoria cooperative and our host, had collected us from our hotel in San Jose, she drove Mike and Sheena King to the CoopeVictoria complex located just outside the Fairtrade Town of Grecia in the Central Valley of Costa Rica.

Caption: – Victoria Cafeteria banner – open sign.

Caption: – Exterior view of Victoria Cafeteria and garden.

We arrived in time for lunch at CoopeVictoria’s recently opened Community and Workers Cafeteria. The building was only opened in April 2022, converted from a former coffee picker’s bungalow. It was the “brain-child” of Maria. She wanted to emulate the Hill’s Community Café in Micklefield, High Wycombe, which she had visited in 2019 as a guest of Wycombe For Fairtrade and the Mayor of High Wycombe. She was impressed with the idea of having a café which offered a community hub for local people to meet, promote local events and artists, and as a place that welcomed children.

Caption: – Sheena on the veranda of the newly opened Cafeteria.

Caption: – Interior of CoopeVictoria Workers’ Cafeteria. 4 of 6

Another benefit was that the good quality food was sold at reasonable prices. Volunteers and young people could also gain work experience. The food was plentiful, well-presented, and delicious, with a wide choice of meat, vegetarian, and vegan meals. The cafeteria was also open to local Grecia residents. The veranda portico extended along two sides of building

Caption: – Interior view of Victoria Cafeteria, light and airy, showing many paintings around the walls of Costa Rican scenes by local artists.

Caption: Cafeteria menu using local organic sugar, coffee, fruit, and vegetable ingredients.

International Fair Trade Day Saturday 14^th May 2022. The CoopeVictoria Fairtrade Producer Stand at the Farmers Market in Grecia.

Banners on International Fair Trade Day 14th May 2022 in Grecia, Costa Rica designed to engage children to recognize the economic and social benefits Fair Trade brings to producers and communities alike as opposed to traditional exploitative Free Trade economic systems.

Sheena King promoting the Fair Trade Town partnership link between Grecia and High Wycombe signed in 2019 between the Mayors and Deputy Mayors of both Fairtrade Towns. This version has the same images of the Wycombe Guildhall and Grecia’s famous steel cathedral, but with the text in Spanish.

Formal welcome to the Wycombe for Fairtrade Group by the Mayor of Grecia, Francisco Murillo, seated first left alongside the Commercial Manager and Director of CoopeVictoria Fairtrade organic coffee and sugar cane Cooperative. Welcome speeches given in a marque outside the Municipal Building in the afternoon. The lady fourth from the right is Sonia Murillo a promoter of the Caribbean and Latin American World Fair Trade Organization, as well as a founder member of the Network for Costa Rica and Panama Fair Trade and Rural Welfare. Mike and Sheena King were presented with an English version of the Spanish plaque commemorating our visit to Grecia, the sister partner Fairtrade Town of High Wycombe. The Spanish version is now located on a plinth in the central town Park of Grecia.