Hello to All:

Previously an administrator of a zoo, I am currently working with an exciting
and innovative group, TransFair USA.  We are the leading force in licensing
Fair Trade Products in the US.  Our first focus for the licensing effort is
coffee -- the second largest traded commodity in the world.

We are looking for cross-promotion and public programming partners in the
cultural community that will assist in educating and informing consumers
around the use of Fair Trade Coffee to support small, traditional farms -- the
best stewards of local lands.  A response indicating interest in this query
would be much appreciated and we would delve into the specifics from there.
This post is poorly timed, however, as I'm leaving to Nicaragua with a film
crew, 1/20-1/30, to interview farmers.  Given that, I'll respond in early
February to the many, many expressions of interest.  (Optimistic, no?)

TransFair USA is based in Oakland, California, and has a Ford Foundation seed
grant.  We are creating the vehicle, a "fair trade" seal, for coffee farmers
to get a fair price.  Coffee is a major source of employment for small farmers
and farmworkers throughout Latin America, Africa and Asia. Coffee is also a
vital source of foreign exchange for many of the 42 countries that cultivate
coffee today.  However, the benefits of coffee trading are not equally
divided.

The most vulnerable participants in the market are the primary producers,
including millions of small farmers who earn only 5-10% of the final retail
price of their coffee. Historically, coffee prices have been extremely
volatile, to the further detriment of the farmers and their families. After
the collapse of the International Coffee Agreement in 1989, coffee prices
plunged to their lowest real levels in almost a century, forcing thousands of
small growers out of business and into poverty.  Farmers may receive $.80 on
that pound of coffee that sells in the United States for more than $8.00 a
pound.

Related to this issue of poverty and economic inequity in coffee growing
countries such as Nicaragua, Peru, Costa Rica are important economic policy,
environmental concerns and civic values that deeply concern the United States,
its citizens, and its interests.  If you need more information on TransFair
USA or Fair Trade, please visit our Web Site in-process at
www.transfairusa.org.  It will provide you with additional information
regarding our effort and our plans.

So, if any institutions are interested in the following, I'd love to hear from
you.

•	Are you interested in doing an exhibit on Fair Trade?  Perspectives might
include Latin America and its history, farmers, trade, the effects of
globalization, the history of seals (i.e. the "union bug", Good Housekeeping,
etc.) Marketing could link to cafe/gift shop sales and of course -- Fair Trade
Coffee.

•	Are you interested in audience development.  We could assemble a Fair Trade
Coffee Collaboration involving a local coffee retailer and media with a heavy
emphasis on cross-promotion -- driving attendance to your facility and to the
local Coffee Retailer while concurrently selling Fair Trade Coffee.

•	Are you interested in developing our service learning concept targeted to
youth?  Might youth sell fair trade coffee as fundraisers -- instead of
wrapping paper -- and learn something about the environment, trade and Latin
America.  Such youth programming effort may resonate with an array of funders.

•	Help develop an environmental and economic development alliance.  The
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center has hosted conferences on "sustainable
coffee farming".  We want to include the needs of small farmers in this
discussion.  And we want to engage in dialogue with partners in the effort to
build sustainable economies.

This is just a sample of potential collaborations.  We would love to hear your
ideas.  As I mentioned, I regret that I won't be able to respond until
February.  But please, please, consider the possibilities and drop a line if
you're interested.  For email, please note address below.


Philip Arca
TransFair USA
52 Ninth Street
Oakland, CA 94607
510 663 5262
Fax 510 663 5264
[log in to unmask]
http://www.transfairusa.org
Trade is neither inherently bad nor good.  But how it is conducted is a matter
of great concern -- and an unprecedented opportunity.
-- Hilary French, "Costly Tradeoffs: Reconciling Trade and the Environment"