Author Archives: Mike King

AGM 2020 – Chairman’s Report September 2019 to September 2020

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Introduction

I would like to welcome both existing Wycombe For Fairtrade Steering Group personnel and all interested members of the public to our 15th September 2020 Annual General Meeting. This is the first AGM that we have held for a number of years and in so doing, the first one to take place online due to the COVID-19 measures, which have prevented physical gatherings in public venues.

Thanks

Firstly, I would like to thank all existing members of the Wycombe For Fairtrade Steering Group for their collective time, hard work, dedication, and ideas over a number of years that have propelled Wycombe For Fairtrade to achieve things that a few years ago would have been impossible, not only that, but developed on a regional, national and global stage. I will allude to specific examples in the main section of the report with Fairtrade Town linking with Grecia in Costa Rica, delivering a joint workshop and lecture with Maria Angela from CoopeVictoria, signing a friendship & cooperation agreement, and getting support from the Ambassador of Costa Rica in the UK.

Secondly, I would like to thank the individuals personally:

  • To Sheena for her unwavering support, acting as a sounding board, and where necessary, pacifying my temper! Sarah has been a rock of support from the start of the Group in 2008 and has proved to be a diligent and excellent Secretary.
  • Jhon Munoz has provided energy and inspiration along with his Spanish language skills in our international liaison involvement, without which links with Grecia and CoopeVictoria would not have been possible or have progressed with such speed and depth.
  • Tony Thornby has brought his web marketing skills to the fore and has managed our new look website to reflect our interests, document our achievements, and promote our events along with other social media. He is currently progressing Group email accounts, one for the general public enquiries, and another for Steering Group and Fairtrade matters.
  • Bob Smith, (probably listening out of sight), regularly attended our Committee meetings and turned out to support all our events, even supplying a gazebo on one occasion on the Rye! A Fairtrade flowerbed in Wycombe for next summer would be a fitting tribute to Bob’s gardening skills. His wife Maggie, has also attended many events, getting signatures for petitions and engaging the public.
  • Ivan has kept the Group up-to-date with Wycombe Friends of the Earth and Population Matters events and issues. These very much parallel the Fairtrade Foundation’s recognition of the UN Sustainablility Goals. Sustainability; environment; and gender equality, are all essential goals for Fairtrade certified farmers and producers. Climate change is perhaps the biggest threat and it was good to support Ivan’s Climate Change Comedian evening last October. It was very witty as well as our stall made around £40.00!
  • Thanks to Angus for keeping us abreast of church and faith group Fairtrade events and issues over the year. The Coronavirus outbreak has obviously curtailed church services and events with a public presence. However, whenever COVID -19 abates, I wonder if we could work together to collate a united Wycombe Churches Fairtrade response to getting church leaders to have more Fairtrade themed services; events; liaison; engagement with young people; as well as encouraging them to apply for the new Fairtrade Church certification for 2021.

Wycombe for Fairtrade: Activities & Achievements

It has probably been the most successful and amazing year ever for the Wycombe For Fairtrade Steering Group, both internationally and locally. Jhon and I were busy in mid-2019 preparing the groundwork for a future Global Fairtrade North – South Town relationship between High Wycombe and Grecia in Central Costa Rica along with the neighbouring Fairtrade producer co-operative, CoopeVictoria. Talks, emails and phone calls resulted in Maria Angela, the Sustainability Manager from CoopeVictoria visiting High Wycombe at the invitation of the Mayor of High Wycombe and Wycombe Fairtrade. We showed her the range of Fairtrade products available in High Wycombe, she had a productive meeting with the Mayors, showing a recorded video of Mainor, the Mayor of Grecia, promoting the Wycombe Grecia link; as well as taking her to Matt’s Hills Cafe in Micklefield, a good example of a community network and business run for the benefit of the local residents and groups. Maria also found time to speak on a live Wycombe Sound on-air interview and had a meeting with Louise Whitaker, the Group Sustainability Manager at Bewley’s UK.

Jhon, Maria, Sheena, myself, and Matt Knight, the Deputy Mayor, attended the 2019 International Fairtrade Towns Conference in Cardiff in October. We jointly delivered a workshop and seminar supported by a powerpoint presentation of how to go about linking Fairtrade Towns in the Global North, e.g. High Wycombe, (consumers), by creating a relationship with a producer economy and business town in the Global South, Grecia and CoopeVictoria in Costa Rica, based on the research work by Marco Coscione of the WFTO. We had 15 people from the convention taking part and suggesting ideas and linking themes. This was the first time Wycombe For Fairtrade had delivered an address at the IFTTC and Matt Knight formally announced this Fairtrade relationship between Wycombe and Grecia at the close of Saturday’s business.

Further work progressed this relationship through early 2020 until Wycombe Fairtrade drafted a Fairtrade Town “Friendship and Cooperation Agreement” based on Fairtrade principles between High Wycombe, Grecia and CoopeVictoria. Frequent joint Teams and Skype meetings took place to work out the final wording until a final draft in English and Spanish was agreed and signed by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Wycombe; the Mayor of Grecia at the time (Mainor Molina); the Chairman of Wycombe For Fairtrade; and the new Director of CoopeVictoria in time for Mainor’s last day in office.

In October 2019, Wycombe For Fairtrade successfully renewed its Fairtrade Town status until November 2021. A speculative email to the Ambassador of Costa Rica to the UK resulted in an invitation to the Costa Rican Embassy in London. Jhon and I had a 3.5 hour meeting with Ambassador Ortiz who duly accepted our invitation to present the Fairtrade Foundation Town Renewal Certificate to Maz Hussain, the Mayor of Wycombe on 21st January 2020,. He also addressed the Charter Town Trustees, highlighting the importance of Fairtrade and the relationship of Wycombe with the town of Grecia. We had Fairtrade wine and snacks in the Mayor’s Parlour to celebrate the occasion and took many photographs. We have sent images of the signed document Agreement in Spanish and English to put into the Costa Rica Embassy reception at the request of the Ambassador.

Attending the POLITICON event in February 2020 at John Hampden Grammar School, Jhon, Sarah, and Mike helped set up our information table with the A2 poster taking centre stage of our display stand. Apart from general Fairtrade leaflets, we also had Grecia and CoopeVictoria booklets, information, and display packs of coffee beans in various stages of processing which attracted onlookers. The highlight of the evening was the approach by a JHGS teacher, Steffi Neal, who taught Business Studies and Economics, and was keen to develop a Fairtrade
element in the curriculum as an example of a solidarity economic model and give her pupils projects involving sustainability, environmentalism and “green issues”, no better displayed than in the country of Costa Rica. She also mentioned that her equivalent teachers at Wycombe High School may also be interested along with Spanish language teachers at these schools. Post-coronavirus, there seems to be a good opportunity to exploit these areas and work towards forging links between High Wycombe secondary schools and their counterparts in Grecia.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2020 Events and Activities

A 35-minute live on-air interview with Wycombe Sound radio started our events, which largely focused on our new relationship with Grecia and CoopeVictoria in Costa Rica. We also had a Zoom meeting to exchange ideas and promote each other’s activities. There was also a successful two-day Coffee Boffin Quiz at Christ The Servant King Church during Open Door cafe mornings and setting up a Traidcraft stall for the weekend. The highlight was liaising with CSK Church to jointly organize and host a “Fairtrade Churches and Faith Groups Think Tank” on Saturday 7th March 2020.There were a range of speakers including Heather Searle, who gave
a 15-minute sermon and service on Fairtrade principles in the Bible; Anghared from the Fairtrade Foundation; Maranda St.John Nicoll from Christian Concern for One World and Margaret Dykes from Traidcraft. Mike King delivered a powerpoint covering the “Impact of Climate Change on Fairtrade producers and communities”.

Only 20 people attended the seminars but they were thoroughly engaged. This occurred a few days prior to the Government’s introduction of COVID-19 lockdown measures.

It was also the first outing of Wycombe For Fairtrade’s newly produced Publisher A2 poster depicting development links and progress with Grecia and CoopeVictoria as well as our joint presence at the IFTTC in Cardiff. This was displayed at the BNU Volunteer Week Fairtrade Breakfast over two days at Wycombe Campus of Bucks New University. It received many favourable comments where it was displayed prominently on a counter in the Student’s Lounge. We talked to several groups of A level pupils both here and from Wycombe Abbey Girls School who seemed reasonably clued up on Fairtrade and its purpose. International World Fairtrade Weekend 2020 Events and Activities

On International Fair Trade Day, 9th May 2020 for the first time, I managed to book a live 25-minute on-air slot with Wycombe Sound at 11.30 in the morning, to outline the purpose of Fairtrade, to show that it is in fact part of free trade market forces but operates to give producers guaranteed prices and that the extra premium is invested in infrastructure and local businesses to the benefit of their communities. I also emphasised our International Fairtrade links with Grecia and CoopeVictoria in Costa Rica and that a signed “Fairtrade Cooperation and Friendship Agreement” had been signed in late April forging a link with High Wycombe in a post European Union world.

Jhon Munoz took part in a Spanish Language Teams/Skype online discussion with CLAC, CoopeVictoria and Grecia, and was the only representative from a UK (Global North Town). Wycombe again was at the forefront of the International Fairtrade debate.

Other Activities and Projects 2019 – 2020

Another primary project that Mike King has been working on since the Conference has been to promote CoopeVictoia Fairtrade arabica coffee by liaising with and emailing a number of UK roasters with a view to roasting a batch of CoopeVictoria green beans in the UK to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Cost Rica Independence in 2021. The idea was to originally have 250 to 300 x 227kilogramme bags to sell and promote locally at trade stalls, events, and churches in High Wycombe. This would mirror what Haworth Village Fairtrade Group did with CafeDirect in marking their 10 year anniversary link with Machu Picchu in Peru. Despite sending over 10
speculative emails to various independent and large roasters, I only had three replies.

However, Darren and Jane Rayner, the Managing Directors of Kingdom Coffee Company based in Reading, replied immediately by email the same day and left a message to ring them which I duly did. Darren wanted to speak to me so we arranged a meeting for Friday 19th June where I had a 2 hour 15min discussion with him. Kingdom Coffee is a Christian, 100% Fairtrade coffee wholesale company with a partner roastery. He gave me a tour and liked my idea. He developed this idea into a business plan and put this to the board of Masteroast in Peterborough. The Corporate manager had worked in Costa Rica for 7 years, and knew the Board of CoopeVictoria, as well as the reputation and qualities of their coffee. On Monday 22nd June, Darren rang me with the incredible news that Derek, the owner of Masteroast was cancelling his original contracts with Costa Rican producers at the end of 2020, and would roast CoopeVictoria Fair Trade green been coffee exclusively for 2021, so providing CoopeVictoria with its first UK roaster and its first direct market. Additionally, the Green Bean Quality Manager has been instructed to work out the quantities and types of beans required.

Through Kingdom Coffee alone, Darren would market this coffee to his existing 7000 customers which includes, churches, local and county councils, tourist venues, company headquarters like Google and Amazon, shipping and transport hubs, and village cake shops and cafes. There would be the possibility of CoopeVictoria Fairtrade coffee being part of a commercial venture with Masteroasts’ contracts with in-house coffee for major supermarket chains like Waitrose, Morrison’s and the Coop. This could potentially have an enormous economic impact on CoopeVictoria and its community as well as on Wycombe For Fairtrade in terms of marketing and promotion events with Kingdom Coffee and the Embassy of Costa Rica.

If I have omitted anything else then it is down to my memory and because I have had to condense a very large amount of work that has reflected a very active; proactive, successful and positive year!

Future Plans for 2020 – 2021.

Despite the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, Wycombe For Fairtrade is pursuing a number of new and ongoing events and activities:

  • Education awareness and potentially linking secondary schools in Wycombe with counterparts in Grecia in terms of language links, field trips, and pupil teacher exchanges
  • Progress increased Fairtrade presence with Churches Faith Groups including, products, speakers, enhancing Fairtrade projects in young people groups, and working with churches towards Fairtrade Church certification.
  • Produce a new 2020 -2021 Wycombe Fairtrade outlets Directory will new Kingdom Coffee logo and “High Wycombe” inserted on “We are a Fairtrade Town” logo
  • Promoting CoopeVictoria and Grecia with leaflets, brochures and a new roller banner printed in English to increase awareness and advocate their products at local and regional events. Especially narratives about their producers and families – How they allocate and spend their Fairtrade Premium investment on social projects.
  • With the invitation of the Ambassador of Costa Rica and the Director of Kingdom Coffee, attend promotional events on 2021 in London and the UK marketing new CoopeVictoria Fairtrade coffee range. E.g. Costa Rican Parade in London on New Years Day as well as Promoting our group and links with Grecia at the orchid festival at Kew Gardens in February 2021.
  • Maybe attend new Anniversary coffee launch at Fairtrade Foundation HQ.

Wycombe For Fairtrade Treasurer – Mike King. 15th September 2020

University of Bath’s Fairtrade Fortnight celebrations 2020 – Part 3 of 3

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Gloria Maria Talavera Gonzalez. Fairtrade Coffee & Cocoa Farmer & Women’s Coordinator Producer from the SOPPEXCCA Cooperative, Nicaragua.

She has been farming cocoa and coffee in Corinta Finca for over 25 years. Fairtrade has enabled:-

  • Financing a scholarship for her son to study agricultural engineering in Germany for a year, helping to keep young people involved with the land.
  • Fairtrade provided credit for replacing all her coffee plants when the fungal leaf rust disease (La Roya), decimated her and neighbouring crops in 2013.
  • Her son and daughter help on the plantation at weekends, removing poor quality coffee beans and cocoa pods that not growing well.

Gloria stressed the importance of Fairtrade especially in the areas of:

  1. Developing and spreading women’s gender equality, men and women are paid the same price for their coffee. A separate women’s coffee brand has developed over the last few years called “Sister”.
  2. Through Fairtrade producer cooperatives, larger amounts of coffee and cocoa can be exported, on newly surfaced roads, partly paid for by the Fairtrade Premium.
  3. The organic coffee and cocoa meet the exacting Fairtrade Certificate Standards and requirements which are regularly inspected and so have consumer confidence.
  4. Agricultural technicians and agronomists supervise the Cooperatives’ plantations.
  5. SOPPEXCCA’s farmers work with the environment. They are encouraged to grow other crops, both as for healthy consumption, but also for selling in local markets and even exporting. Bananas, orchard fruit, maize and organic honey, are crucial cash crops as well as providing vital vitamins for families and for food security.
  6. Nicaragua is well off for water and forests, but climate change of just a few degrees can have a dramatic impact on coffee production, the main cash crop. Fortunately, cocoa grows well in the fertile, volcanic soil and fills in most of the income gap. Plots devoted to bananas, mangoes, and other diversified fruit provide more than self-sufficiency – diverse income streams. Annatto is an orange-red food coloring or condiment made from the seeds of the achiote tree.
  7. A group of enterprising women, using part of the Fairtrade Premium have utilized local organic beekeeping to combine the honey with the maize to produce a grain energy bar. They were aided by marketing help from a female entrepreneur in Ireland who advised on marketing. These energy bars are also sold in their plantation cafe. Unsold fruit along with washed coffee sludge is dried and bagged for organic fertilizer for Cooperative members.
  8. Fairtrade Premiums have been invested in community health projects over the years, including a free health clinic for workers and regular cancer checks.
  9. A holistic approach is adopted with guaranteed Fairtrade coffee and cocoa prices ironing out fluctuations in world prices and allowing farmers to plan for the future for cash crops. The Fairtrade Premium also encourages fledgling income diversity and local ripple effect industries to provide new revenue streams, some of which are very intuitive.

Notes Produced by:
Mike King
Chairman, Wycombe Fairtrade     

University of Bath’s Fairtrade Fortnight celebrations 2020 – Part 2 of 3

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Louise Whitaker; Group Support Manager, Bewley’s UK

Visit to the SOPPEXCCA Cooperative in Nicaragua and Unlocking the power of Women in Coffee.

Louise began her presentation by stating that over 125 million people in 70 countries worldwide rely on coffee as the main cash crop. However, the coffee plant does not like quick changes in growing conditions and is largely intolerant of progressive temperature increases. Coffee is also very labour intensive and prone to pests and fungal diseases. Coffee seedlings take 4 to 5 years to produce in nurseries before any coffee cherries grow on the bush. The first crop is discarded before the best cherries mature. When ripe, the cherries are hand-picked, sorted, and then de-pulped to obtain the two green coffee beans in each cherry. The green coffee beans are then place in the sun to dry for 3 – 7 days and  turned regularly.

Women provide much of the labour in what are often male-dominated societies, as well as looking after the children, cooking, collecting water, shopping, or running small businesses in local markets

Louise referred to a newly published ICO document examining gender equality and climate change.

When women have access to finance, credit, training, and are involved in the decision making processes of the cooperative, women tend to save more money than men as well as direct more of that finance to providing for the family.

Members of the SOPPEXCCA Cooperative pay to be part of the Fairtrade auditing scheme to have the certification logo on their coffee and cocoa products. Fairtrade membership entitlements include:-

  • Gender equality
  • Equal pay for men and women
  • One member one vote on business and community project decisions
  • Access to credit – (a holistic approach is taken)
  • Women managers and leaders act as “role models” in the cooperative expanding the narrative
  • Money provides for school bags, paper, pens,  and child uniforms even though state education is free
  • Children can then aspire to colleges and universities for professional training
  • With credit, women can start their own coffee or small businesses.

e.g. women collect organic honey from bees and combine this with home grown maize to produce energy bars, which are sold locally in markets, shops and even exported

  • This in turn provides access to more credit e.g. $10,000 for marketing of biscuits and energy bars. A wheel begins to role and gather pace, so creating a new mini-enterprise

Positive factors

There is a clear role for women in businesses as well as community, empowering and enhancing their status, closing the gender gap. Women work hard in the production of coffee but can create quite innovative enterprises which diversify the economy based on local conditions and advantages. Women understand the relationship of their work with the land and the environment and can help fight climate change.

During her 2018 visit to SOPPEXCCA Cooperative, Louise met a number of women with interesting stories to tell about improving their economic opportunities  as well social and community benefits, once they have access to credit, they become entrepreneurs and role models. Money has also come from Melissa Gates and the Hilary Clinton Foundations.

Greta: 90% of her income was directed to her family, improving diet, health and education opportunities. She works in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Farmers would lose money if their coffee were not sold under Fairtrade terms. Being involved in both business and community decision making means inclusion and empowerment for women in SOPPEXCCA. The current General manager of the cooperative is Fatima Ismael, who is responsible for over 800 individual coffee farmers.

Rosa: listed a number of advantages since she became a smallholder. Land can now be registered in a woman’s name, and encourages economic diversity and the setting up of micro-businesses apart from growing the cash crop – coffee. Gender equality is established as well as young people can see the improvements and realize that farming can offer a living wage and a future.

Maxima: Her coffee is sold under the Women’s coffee label – “Sisters. The Fairtrade money earned is allocated to school equipment for her children. With the low coffee prices, she has stated growing cocoa as a main cash crop. Cocoa benefits include:-

  • Stable higher income than coffee and is viewed as a “buffer” crop
  • Grows all the year round
  • Provides more money out of the coffee harvest season
  • Has started to make her own chocolate bars
  • Cocoa grows well at lower levels on land formally used for coffee production
  • She is seen as a role model for other female producers
  • Mutual skill sharing and utilizing cross-product marketing.

      Myrtle: She established a small cafe on her coffee growing land and taught herself to become a     barista by studying at weekends.

Climate change has a human cost as well as an immediate environmental crop.

Notes Produced by:
Mike King
Chairman, Wycombe Fairtrade     

University of Bath’s Fairtrade Fortnight celebrations 2020 – Part 1 of 3

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Barney Smyth; Acting Senior Partnership Manager, Fairtrade Foundation. 1.45 pm.

Explored 2 Questions about Fairtrade.

What makes Fairtrade certification unique?

Why do Fairtrade producers, buyers and end consumers have faith in the Fairtrade logo.

  1. Minimum price for a product e.g. coffee is paid to producers which irons out the world market price peaks and troughs. Eliminating these price fluctuations means that producers can plan ahead, and Fairtrade buyers know that coffee has been grown on Fairtrade terms. Currently Fairtrade farmers are paid $1.40 per pound of coffee. The current world price is between $1.00 and $1.20. This minimum price guarantee is paid when coffee prices rise. The Fairtade price is always 20 cents above the global coffee price. This Fairtrade price covers the costs of sustainable and environmentally friendly production.
  2. Fairtrade farmers and producers receive an additional Fairtrade Premium on top of the selling price. This is usually another 1% of the value of the products. The producer cooperative workers, who know their own needs, can then decide to allocate this funding to:
    – social projects
    – improving community infrastructure
    – Investing in a health centre
    – buying in training and education
    – building schools
    – improving their businesses with new equipment
    – Workers are thus empowered and can take control of their own livelihoods.
  3. The Fairtrade logo is a recognised kitemark and reflects uniform assessment by FLOCERT, the independent WFTO body that assesses farmers; producers; suppliers; traders; and wholesalers that rigorous standards have been met and that regular inspections are made to trace and prove product traceability.

Barney Smith presented some interesting Fairtrade Foundation Statistics –

Fairtrade has been going for over 25years
– 90% of people in the UK recognize the Fairtrade logo
– 87% of people in the UK trust the logo
– 76% of people in the UK care about the third party/independent certification process
– 76% of people in the UK care about Fairtrade producers and farmers
– 76% of people in the UK actively seek and choose Fairtrade products

Why Fairtrade makes such a big difference?

  • Producers and farmers have a guaranteed income
  • They have decent working conditions
  • There is no child or forced labour
  • Men and women receive equal pay, empowering both genders
  • Fairtrade suppliers establish long-term working relationships with producer cooperatives
  • There are social, economic, and environmental benefits of belonging to a Fairtrade cooperative
  • The cost of belonging Fairtrade certified cooperative includes many other benefits such as technical and agricultural training  for farmers and a chance to belong to network groups

Fairtrade Coffee Cooperative Statistics 2019

  • There are 582 Fairtrade coffee cooperatives located in Latin America, Africa, and SE Asia
  • 762,000 farmers growing and selling Fairtrade coffee.
  • 86% of all Fairtrade coffee originates from Central and South America
  • Fairtrade coffee production is worth in excess of 84 million Euros.
  • 18% of Fairtrade coffee growers are women.

In a short accompanying video, one coffee grower stated that “Coffee is our life”, and more farmers need to sell coffee on Fairtrade terms where the environmental costs are factored in to the end price. The guaranteed price of Fairtrade coffee irons out the huge fluctuations in the market price.

“Climate change is a huge threat to livelihoods” but that farmers will have to adapt.

Notes Produced by:
Mike King
Chairman, Wycombe Fairtrade

CoopeVictoria visit High Wycombe October 2019 -Part 2 of 3 – Overview of the 3 days

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Visit of Maria Angela Zamora Chaves from CoopeVictoria Fairtrade Cooperative, Grecia, Costa Rica to High Wycombe 16th-18th Oct 2019

Invited to High Wycombe by the Mayor of Wycombe (Maz Hussain) and the Deputy Mayor of High Wycombe (Matt Knight), Maria Angela Zamora Chaves was a guest of the Wycombe For Fairtrade Steering Group for 2 days arriving in High Wycombe on Tuesday 15th October 2019.

Maria Angela Zamora Chaves, is a University Business Studies Lecturer as well as being the Coordinator of Social Responsibility and Cooperative Education in CoopeVictoria, a Fairtrade organic coffee and sugar producer group, she was also representing the local Fairtrade Town and Mayor of Grecia in Costa Rica.

First stop on the High Wycombe tour was to take Maria to experience a full English breakfast at the Hills Community Cafe in Micklefield, which also offered a range of Fairtrade coffees and speciality teas. We also met some of the customers including a Spanish speaking couple. Maria was particularly impressed with the community aspect of this inclusive social enterprise cafe and the range of events involving young people and those with mental health problems. Maria was determined to adopt this model and open a similar cafe in Grecia, funded through the Fairtrade Premiums.

Outside Hills Cafe

Later on during the morning of Wednesday 17th October, Jhon and Mike showed Maria around the town and took her to some of the sites like the Parish Church, the Town Hall, Pann Mill watermill, the Rye Park, and the Red Lion in the High Street. We also fitted in a range of Fairtrade shops, supermarkets, independent cafes, the local Oxfam shop, as well as looking around the Fairtrade and ethical clothes and craft shop, Ruby Moon. Maria was very impressed with the range and quantity of Fairtrade products available in Wycombe retailers and cafes generally.

Outside Ruby Moon

After a very nice lunch in the Air Raid Shelter Cafe sampling Grumpy Mule Fairtrade coffee from the Wycombe wholesaler Bewley’s. Maria liked the food as much as the 1940’s decor, ambience and atmosphere, and the entrance to the Air Raid Shelter provided a good photo opportunity for her colleagues back in Grecia.

We took Maria to the Town Hall to meet the Mayor (Maz) and Deputy Mayor (Matt) in the Mayor’s Parlour from 3.00pm to 4.30pm. ( Please See: Mayor and Deputy Mayor meeting document for further details).

Later on that evening, 5 members of the Steering Group met Maria for a social gathering and meal in the Chiltern Taps restaurant. Maria enjoyed tasting local real ales and a typically English meal of fish and chips. It was a very enjoyable and fun evening.

Inside Chiltern Taps

Jhon and Mike took Maria on Thursday 18th November to the Cressex Industrial Estate for a booked appointment with Louise Whitaker, the Group Sustainability Manager from Bewley’s UK. This was a very productive meeting during which Maria Angelaexplained the background of CoopeVictoria and their track record of community funded projects, sustainability, recycling, and engagement with children in formal education. Much of CoopeVictoria’s coffee is organic and 64% exported to European markets, although not directly to the UK at the moment. CoopeVictoria had introduced a “Meeting the Producers” tour for foreign visitors, which Louise thought an excellent idea. Bewley’s were currently testing the quality of their “green” coffee beans with a view to possibly market this as a speciality coffee in the near future.

With Bewley's van

Between 2.00pm and 2.15pm, we managed to fit in a live radio broadcast on John Murphy’s afternoon Wycombe Sound show. Maria Angela largely spoke Spanish which Jhon Munoz translated into English. They and Mike King discussed the concept of Fairtrade generally as well as the links the Wycombe Fairtrade Steering Group have enacted between High Wycombe Council and the Fairtrade town of Grecia in Costa Rica, but also the work we have done linking with the Fairtrade cooperative group CoopeVictoria and in turn acting as a conduit between them and our Fairtrade Flagship employer in Wycombe, Bewley’s UK.

At Wycombe Sound

There were a number of other possibilities for the future linking between Grecia and High Wycombe in terms of business, eco-tourism, history and culture, as well as in secondary and graduate education for language student and two-way teacher exchanges.

Mike King, Chairman Wycombe For Fairtrade

CoopeVictoria visit High Wycombe October 2019 – Part 1 of 3 – Meeting with the Mayor

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Maria Angela Zamora Chaves from CoopeVictoria meets with Wycombe Mayor (Maz) and Deputy Mayor (Matt Knight)

Location

In the Mayor’s Parlour, Old Town Hall. Weds 16th October 2019. 3.00 – 4.15pm.

Present:

Maz
Matt Knight
Maria Angela Zamora Chaves (Fairtrade Cooperative CoopeVictoria and Grecia Town)
Mike King (Wycombe Fairtrade)
Jhon Munoz (Wycombe Fairtrade)

The Discussion

After introductions Maria Angela explained the background and history of the Fairtrade
certified organic coffee and sugar producer cooperative, CoopeVictoria, as well as its
relationship with the Fairtrade town of Grecia in Costa Rica.

Maria Angela saw some similarities with the poorer areas of Grecia in her visit to
Micklefield, a disadvantaged area in Wycombe. She liked the idea of Matt’s Hills Community
Cafe in Micklefield and wanted to try and replicate this in Grecia as one of the CoopeVictoria
social projects, funded by the Fairtrade Premiums, creating a community hub with local
events and informal groups.

Maria Angela and Jhon showed the recorded 2-minute video from the Mayor of Grecia,
Mainor Molina Murillo, explaining that he could not come personally, but sent his warmest
greetings to High Wycombe. Mainor made it very clear in the video that he is very keen on
the idea of a formal relationship of friendship, cooperation, and mutual promotion with the
town of High Wycombe, especially in the areas of tourism and school education exchanges
in the future.

It was explained to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Wycombe that this video would be shown during our joint workshop at the Cardiff International Fair Trade Towns Conference on Saturday 19th October 2019, highlighting Wycombe and Grecia’s ideas of bridging the Global North – Global South Fair Trade Towns gap by forming a link and partnership. This would also benefit the respective towns’ trade, economy and businesses. CoopeVictoria had already sent “green coffee beans” to the local Wycombe Fairtrade Coffee Roaster and Wholesaler for quality testing. Following more trials it is hoped that Bewley’s UK would produce a small batch of speciality CoopeVictoria coffee for the UK market. At present, CoopeVictoria do not have a direct distributer in the UK, although 64% of their exports are to mainland Europe. Other cultural links could also be explored further down the line. School exchanges, especially those involving eco-tourism and respective English and Spanish language classes would be very valuable to both towns’ schools and secondary education.

Agreement

The results of the meeting were that the Mayors of both High Wycombe and Grecia would like to work together and had formed a firm foundation to make this happen. Best wishes on both sides were extended. A more formal signed agreement of friendship, cooperation, and partnership would follow later on.

Mike King, Chairman Wycombe Fairtrade