November 2017 Newsletter

FAIR TRADE SUSTAINABILITY ALLIANCE

Collaborative Excellence and Accountability

NOVEMBER 2017

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Observing the recent hurricanes and the earthquakes in Mexico gives us pause.... to be thankful for how lucky we are, and also feeling the pain and suffering of the people hit by earthquakes, and in the path of the hurricanes.

It also emphasizes the need and strengthens our commitment to do everything we can in our own realm to live and act according to principles that are earth-friendly and minimize our carbon footprint. In that vein, it encourages us to see there are so many committed and courageous people out there. We recently had the honor to attend a ceremony for the "Rising Star" Award at Babson College near Boston. This award honors socially responsible entrepreneurs, who are also Babson alumni and in business for less than 10 years. Among the honorees was our friend Daniel Dalet of SoloCoco. We were able to listen to SoloCocos' and other inspiring stories, from a business dedicated to creating community and support among chronically ill patients to the story of a former financial broker now traveling the planet on a kindness mission. These stories give us courage and hope, and it's our mission here to support and help create as many courage and hope-inspiring stories as we possibly can.

For the FairTSA team

Winfried Fuchshofen

Community Development at Kokonut Pacific


*DME Press in Action*

When our Fair Trade partner Kokonut Pacific in the Solomon Islands registered as a company in 1994, their focus was on producing and selling the simple manual coconut oil press it had designed and built. This enabled small coconut farmers and villagers in the remote islands to escape the virtual slavery of the copra trade to become independent coconut oil producers. The press has become a key component of their highly productive Direct Micro Expelling (DME) VCO process. Given the remote and spread-out nature of the Solomon Islands, key components of establishing and maintaining a thriving business requires strong relationships with farmers, training in agricultural efficiency and sustainability as well as business principles, communications, and logistical support.

To help facilitate this complex task, Kokonut Pacific used the profits from its operation to fund a Coconut Technology Centre (CTC) in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. While this education center strengthens business and agriculture in the islands, it also empowers farmers to strive for food security through sustainability practices.


	Launch of CTC Center

Kokonut Pacific's Community Development project for 2017 has been titled "Farm to Market: Training for Rural Youth Economic Empowerment and the DME Model". Structured as a public-private partnership, the project provides education for 100 at-risk youth in the DME process at the CTC education center.

Practical skills are taught spanning from business practices to local animal husbandry. Kokonut Pacific's research and development at their education center has refined these community's agricultural practices to utilize each and every by-product of the DME coconut oil process for economic and community benefit. Innovations include charcoal production from coconut shells and coconut palm wood, as well as integration of byproducts of the DME process to community use. Charcoal burning stoves are now widely used, which reduce smoke and save forest timber firewood and expensive fossil fuels. Integrated use of coconut oil in cooking local foods to provide meals to DME workers is another way their practices are turning to efficient sustainability. The coconut byproducts once thrown away can be used for livestock feed. Animal husbandry initiatives plus this new food source has improved village food security. To learn more about the FairTSA Community Development Program, click here.

We are once again inspired and impressed with Kokonut Pacific's latest community development project, seeing firsthand the benefits to the local people, the environment, and of the FairTSA system!

Lotus Foods Introduces

Authentic Indian Heirloom Dehraduni Basmati Rice

Our partner Lotus Foods of California, a company that specializes in promoting and sustaining exceptional organic and Fair Trade rice varieties all over the planet, has introduced Heirloom Dehraduni basmati rice. Dehraduni basmati is a long slender, aromatic grain that almost doubles in length when cooked. Dehraduni's famed flavor, fragrance and elongation are what elevated basmati rice to one of the world's most recognized and best-loved rice. Dehraduni basmati is like champagne. Everyone knows that to be called 'champagne,' it must be from the Champagne region of France. It's the same with Dehraduni basmati, which originated centuries ago in the Doon Valley of Uttarakhand State, India.

The women and men who grow the rice use the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), also known as the More Crop Per Drop™ practice. They are Water Smart, Climate-friendly and Women Strong by using less water, minimizing methane production, and providing farmers and specifically women farmers with a decent income.

New Licensees

NEW DIRECTIONS AROMATICS, INC.	BOYERE SA
Established in 1987 in Sydney, Australia, and having since expanded to Canada in 1997, New Directions is a leading wholesale supplier of 100% pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils and raw materials. The mission of New Directions has always remained the same: To supply the finest, purest, natural products at honest, competitive prices, along with stellar customer service.	Founded in 1986, Boyere SAS of Montenay, France, is an independent family-owned business, trading in a variety of organic products. Among them are dried fruits, ginger, rice, and many others. Boyere is also the owner of the Vijaja brand that offers consumers a large selection of healthy organic foods and cosmetics.

W.S. BADGER CO., INC.

Founded in 1995, Badger of Gilsum, New Hampshire, USA, is a small family owned and run business, producing pure and effective skin care products of the highest natural quality to protect, soothe and heal the skin. They foster a business environment that is respectful and supportive of all employees and customers, and support organic, sustainable agriculture and environmental responsibility in their business

practices.