Friends of the Month – Pat & Sue

posted at 9:11am, 15 Dec 09 by Yasmin [ 1 comment ]

Pat (left) and Sue

 

How long have you been drinking Cafédirect?
Pat: I have been drinking Cafédirect coffee for well over 10 years – I must have drank gallons in this time; just think of all the benefits it has brought to the growers.

How did you discover Cafédirect?
Sue: Can’t remember how I discovered Cafédirect but I have been involved in Fairtrade for over 10 years so somewhere on that journey.  I still remember the old stripy packaging though!

What is the best thing about being a Friend of Cafédirect?
Sue: Meeting other Friends and spreading the Cafédirect word at some great events!
Pat: Cafédirect e-newsletters keep me in the loop with what’s going on in the world.

Do you have any hidden talents?
Sue: Apparently I make a good Irish coffee.
Pat: I can smell good freshly brewed coffee at a great distance!

What’s your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon?
Sue: Anything, as long as I get to listen to The Archers in the morning!
Pat: Relaxing with a good book accompanied with a large pot of freshly brewed coffee and Fairtrade chocolate of course!

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Sue: Ghana. I have family there and have been before; it’s a very beautiful country with friendly and welcoming people.
Pat: I would love to visit Machu Picchu it looks truly beautiful.

Tea or coffee?
Sue: Water (sorry, but it is also very useful for making tea and coffee!!)
Pat: Coffee at any time of the day!

If you could have 3 wishes granted, what would they be?
Sue:
1. To see world hunger eradicated.
2. For 2010 to be a year of good health and happiness for family and friends.
3. For Arsenal to bring home some silverware this season.

Pat: I wish for developing countries to be completely debt free, Fairtrade to be everyone’s first choice and to win a year’s supply of Fairtrade ground coffee!

How will you be celebrating Christmas?
Sue: Shhhh….Don’t tell Pat but there will be a Machu Picchu coffee-shaped present or two under the tree…

Machu Picchu coffee is availaible to buy from our new online shop, where you also find some luxury Cafédirect gift sets & hampers for the perfect Christmas treat.

Join Friends of Cafédirect online and you’ll start receiving our monthly e-newsletter packed full of exciting special offers, news from grower partners and exclusive competitions.

Friday Fun – coffee & tv on tv….

posted at 11:18am, 11 Dec 09 by Siobhan [ 18 comments ]

Today’s Friday Fun builds on previous theme of coffee or tea in songs.

You came up with some great coffee, tea and cocoa song titles, – probably enough to release a “Best of hot drinks hits” – and then took it a step further with song puns such as ‘Wake Me Up Before You Cocoa’. This week we’d like to hear your favourite coffee, tea or cocoa related films or tv shows, or your favourite coffee, tea or cocoa moments from the big (or small) screen!

Whether its a documentary like Black Gold, a scene with Mrs Doyle and a cup of tea in Father Ted or Gene Wilder with an edible teacup in the Willy Wonka movie, we’d love to hear them.

The rules are simple:

Post the name of the scene/movie/tv show in the comment box of this blog post BY 5.30pm today. The most creative or interesting entries will be chosen by judges from Cafédirect and announced on Monday on our blog.

This week’s prize is a ‘Winter Warmer’ set of knitted accessories (pictured)  from our friends at People Tree plus some Cafédirect San Cristobal Drinking Chocolate. We have three sets to give away! If you’re not lucky enough to win this great prize, our friends at People Tree will give you 25% discount on their online store  with the promo code PTCD09. (The offer is valid for online orders only and can only be used once. Offer not valid in conjunction with any other offers. Offer expires 23/12/09 at midnight.)

Prizes can only be sent to a UK or Ireland postal address.
Good luck!

A shot of clarity in the hazy debates on climate change

posted at 11:43am, 10 Dec 09 by Whitney [ 0 comments ]

I’ve been thinking a lot about climate change this week.

You might guess that it has something to do with the COP15 climate negotiations going on in Copenhagen … but you’d only be partly right.

Though I’m as glued to the coverage of the conference as any eco-minded person these days (see some of my top 3 sources for background and news below), I’ve also been looking out for some equally exciting coverage of a project that, I think, has some lessons to teach the attendees of COP15.

Our AdapCC project, undertaken with GTZ and 4 of our coffee and tea partners, has earned some well-deserved attention in the press in the last weeks.  A piece by Janice Warman in The Spectator highlights the impressive gains made by tea farmers in Kenya, going so far to say that “this is where Barack Obama should be:   walking the muddy fields of his father’s native country” to prepare for his debut at Copenhagen.

A  Reuters piece by Frank Nyakairu discusses the drought that has been damaging crops in Kenya over recent years and offers some insights from Cafédirect’s CEO, Anne MacCaig.

Both articles touch on the fact this project goes a long way towards exemplifying the positive impact that home-grown adaptation strategies can bring to communities in the developing world.  Politicians in Copenhagen are doing some heated arguing about a proposed $10 billion USD per year fund to go towards adaptation in developing countries.  The developed world says ‘Yes, we agree, this is enough’ and the developing world says ‘No way, not nearly enough’.

One way to bring some clarity to this debate is to look at some real world, concrete examples of successful adaptation … and this is exactly what AdapCC set out to do.  And the benefits are visible, tangible and replicable.

A portable mixed vegetable garden in Kenya

Tea farmers in Kenya are growing kale to consume and sell when their tea crop fails and are considering diversifying into passion fruit.  Coffee farmers in Mexico are drying their coffee beans in simple shelters that shed the unexpected rains that now fall during the ‘dry’ season.  Their counterparts in Nicaragua are joining forces to produce rich organic compost to help keep moisture in the soil, while farmers in Peru are reforesting the local watershed in the hope of capturing enough carbon to sell credits to fund further adaptation.

A solar coffee dryer in Mexico

These examples can send a lightning bolt of clarity into the often long, wordy and politicised debates going on around climate change and adaptation.  So … if anyone over there on Copenhagen wants to hear a bit more about it, feel free to get in touch.

My top 3 sources for background and news on Copenhagen:

1.    Grist (a long time favourite for the lastest news with a cheeky attitude)
2.    The COP15 website (where there are more live webcasts than you’d care to watch)
3.    The Munk Debates (check out the most recent debate with climate change heavyhitters including George Monbiot and Bjorn Lomborg for a great primer on both sides of the debate)

Win a Gourmet Getaway at Gidleigh Park Hotel!

posted at 12:50pm, 09 Dec 09 by Alex [ 1 comment ]

We are really excited to have teamed up with Michelin Star Chef Michael Caines MBE to offer you the chance to win a luxurious weekend break for two at the prestigious Gidleigh Park Hotel. Gidleigh Park was awarded Gold in the Hotel of the Year category in the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2009. Set in the idyllic surroundings of Dartmoor National Park it’s the perfect place for a Gourmet Getaway!

With Executive Head Chef Michael Caines MBE at the helm, Gidleigh Park’s restaurant is considered to be one of the finest in the country and for the last ten years has been the proud holder of two Michelin stars. The lucky winner plus a guest of their choice will get to enjoy this fine dining experience.

Cafédirect’s Machu Picchu is a favourite of Michelin Star chef Michael Caines MBE, who only sources the finest ingredients for his hotels. Last year Michael came with us to Machu Picchu to see where the coffee he serves starts its journey:
“In a blind taste test Cafédirect was clearly the best in terms of quality and flavour. I was surprised, but at the same time pleased because I’m committed to the idea of supporting Fairtrade products, even more so after seeing for myself the tremendous benefits Cafédirect brings to poor communities”.

Click here for your chance to win this excellent prize.

Even if you don’t win the competition, our friends at Gidleigh Park Hotel have exclusively offered Friends of Cafédirect £100 credit to spend at Gidleigh Park during your stay –  find out more here…