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Our Newest Cooperating Certifier
Mayacert, S.A. of Guatemala
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of Guatemala as our newest cooperating certifier. As a leader of multicertification systems in agriculture, we are sure that Mayacert will be a valuable addition to our existing group of certifiers and enhance our global presence. This addition emphasizes our efforts of establishing FairTSA as one of the preeminent Fair Trade certification programs on a world-wide scale.
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New Licensing Partners
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Edward & Sons Trading Co., Inc. of Carpinteria, CA. An industry leader supplying innovative and natural organic vegetarian foods to stores and consumers throughout the world.
Zico Premium Coconut Water, of El Segundo, CA. Zico works directly with local farmers and coconut plantations in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, to make a high quality nourishing beverage.
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Quick Links to Cooperating Certifiers
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Fair Trade Sustainability Alliance
Collaborative Excellence and Accountability
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Hello Friends and Colleagues,
We're looking back at a year of tremendous progress, both within our organization and with regard to the farmers and farm workers we support. While we don't strive to be the biggest, we are constantly improving our program to better serve the communities we work with, which is the real measure of our success. We feel privileged to continue this work, and remain committed to doing our best to fulfill this mission. Wishing all of you Happy Holidays and a successful New Year - wherever and whenever you celebrate.
For the FairTSA Team
Dr. Winfried Fuchshofen
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Creating Community - First FairTSA Stakeholder Meeting during BioFach 2015
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FairTSA will be conducting its first stakeholder meeting on Wednesday, February 11, from 16:30 - 18:00 during BioFach 2015. We will announce the exact venue and the complete program in our special BioFach Newsletter edition in January.
We invite all of our stakeholders to this meeting who can make it - farmer and farmworker representatives, FairTSA licensees, certifiers and all of their involved personnel, and all who are interested in our Fair Trade program as consumers, producers or licensees. As with our program in general, this meeting is intended to bring together like-minded people with a commitment to advancing and supporting rural communities in their strife for social, economic and environmental self-determination. Rather than sporting lengthy talks, our intention is to make this a celebration of our joint achievements and an opportunity to create new connections, explore fresh opportunities, and support each other as partners.
We are looking forward to meeting you at the stakeholder meeting.
The FairTSA Team
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Finca Villa Lobo Community
Development Project
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We are happy to report that Finca Villa Lobo, a FairTSA banana producer in the Dominican Republic, has just completed their first community development project! Funded by the Social Premium amounts paid by the FairTSA buyers, these projects really demonstrate what FairTSA is all about.
The first assembly of the Finca Villa Lobo Trade Union met early last year and held a democratic election of union officials. They then created their first community development project plan: It included constructing 20 latrines for the workers and their families living in the hill section of the community. Prior to the implementation of this project, the state of sanitation for many of the workers was very poor. As you can see in the photos, existing latrines were in terrible condition. Sometimes one latrine was used by multiple families. Often the latrines were very dirty, some were without doors, and some were just a hole in the ground protected from sight only by cardboard or plastic bags.
With the completion of this project adequate sanitation is now available, which greatly contributes to the health and dignity of the producers and their families.
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This is just the first of several community development projects for Finca Villa Lobo. Other projects include: solid waste removal, creation of a park, and clean-up and securing the banks of the Yaque River.
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FairTSA at Williams College
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Dr. Fuchshofen (left) with Mr. Brent Wasser, Manager of Sustainable Food & Agriculture Program at Williams
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 Williamstown, MA: On October 23, Dr. Fuchshofen shared a presentation on "The Evolution of Fair Trade and the Role of Fair Trade Sustainability Alliance". He surveyed the history and current landscape of fair trade and discussed the role of his organization in the global picture and how it differs from most larger fair trade organiza-tions. Some of FairTSA's operating principles include community development, collaboration, streamlined efficiency and transparency. The presentation sparked a discussion with the students while they enjoyed tasting organic chocolate from Grenada, and coconut oil from the Solomon Islands.
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Fair Trade Sustainability Alliance
PO Box 791
New Lebanon, NY 12125
518-794-0286
[email protected]
http://fairtsa.org
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