Friday Fun – Mother’s Day Reminder!

posted at 10:30am, 12 Mar 10 by Cafédirect HQ [ 13 comments ]

So, Mother’s day is only a few days way and I’m sure by now the flowers have been pre-ordered, the card is in the post and a reminder set in your phone for Sunday morning.

For today’s Friday Fun we’re  giving away the perfect gift for Mother’s Day – a Cafédirect Gift Basket, packed full of delicious Cafédirect drinks, 2 fancy mugs, yummy Divine chocolate and a newly designed Cafédirect teatowel.

BUT remember this is a top up gift to the fabulous surprise you have already arranged for Mother’s Day as it will not arrive until next week!

To win this lovely prize, tell us what was the most memorable, humorous (and harmless) white lie your mother told you when you were a child. To give you a few examples from the Cafédirect office; don’t swallow chewing gum as the consequences could be dire, don’t suck your thumb as it contains hidden spiders  (said to someone petrified of spiders) and if you forget to brush your teeth twice a day all of your teeth will turn yellow and drop out.

The rules are simple:

Post your response in the comment box of this blog post by 5.30pm today.

The most amusing entry (as chosen by the Cafédirect team) will be chosen and announced on Monday on our blog.

Prizes can only be sent to a UK or  Republic of Ireland postal address.

The winner will receive a Cafédirect Gift Basket.

Update from Uganda

posted at 11:17am, 03 Mar 10 by Cafédirect HQ [ 0 comments ]

Heavy rains in the Bududa district of Uganda have led to devastating mudslides in Mount Elgon National Park.  Media reports state that three villages have been buried under the mud with at least 86 people dead and at least 300 people missing.

This is a truly horrendous situation and we have been in touch with Gumutindo, our coffee grower partner in the area, to find out what is happening on the ground and how Cafédirect can best support them.  We will be providing an update as soon as we have more details.

Friday Fun – Pin the teacup on the…?

posted at 11:20am, 26 Feb 10 by Cafédirect HQ [ 26 comments ]

Another week gone by, another Friday Fun competition to win….

Still feeling pretty full from overindulging at our Tea Party last week I have a lovely picture below to show us in action at Cafédirect HQ, doing what we do best; eating cake, drinking tea and having a good ol’ natter!

To win this week’s competition and receive a basket full of Cafédirect goodies, tell us what party games would be top on your agenda if you were the Gamesmaster like Alex was at our Tea Party?

Remember to post your entry in the comments box below. We’re looking for something fun and original! You have until 5.30pm today to enter.

The winner will be chosen from all entries received and announced on the blog on Monday. Prizes can only be sent to a UK or Republic of Ireland address.

Good luck!

Charlotte

Update from Cocla, Peru

posted at 5:11pm, 05 Feb 10 by Cafédirect HQ [ 1 comment ]

As you may have heard, the Cusco region of Peru has been very seriously affected by heavy rains which have caused severe flooding. We have been in touch with our grower partner in the area, a co-operative called COCLA (whose coffee goes into the Machu Picchu range), to find out more about the effects that these disastrous weather conditions have had on them.

They have told us that the houses, bridges and the farms of a number of producers who lived on the banks of these rivers have been washed away and demolished. Tragically we have also been informed that three members of COCLA have died due to this disaster.

The President of the Cusco region has reported that there are a total of 16,000 hectares of destroyed crops, 25,000 families affected and more than 3,000 houses damaged by the rains. 11 -14 bridges have been washed away or are in danger of collapsing.

In Quillabamba, where the main Cocla facilities are, all the access roads and tracks were blocked. This means that people attempting to get from Quillabamba to Cusco (the nearest large town), had to walk long distances before being able to pick up any transport and then have to transfer many times to avoid the parts of the road that were blocked. Another consequence of this dire transport situation is that the costs of goods have gone up.  Therefore everyone living in these areas is being affected, with people on the lowest incomes suffering the most.

When we were visiting this co-operative just last month, we went to visit a famous tourist attraction in Santa Theresa, “Baños Termales de Coclamayo” (Coclamayo Hot Springs).  This alongside other tourist attractions such as the ruins of Machu Picchu was a major source of income for the local population, however the hot springs have now totally disappeared under the landslides.

Cafédirect is working closely with the co-operative to offer immediate assistance including funding for tools and food. We are also exploring what longer term assistance is needed to support the farmers who are affected by this disaster.

The funding for both the immediate and the short term assistance comes from the reinvestment of profits from our products and events like this demonstrate just how important it is for all companies to commit to going Fairtrade as a starting point, but to realise that its not the finishing line. It is important to not only pay a minimum price for the crops, but to have direct relationships with growers and to plough back profits to develop sustainable businesses and provide long term support. The effects of climate change make this all the more important and urgent. The consumer voice is highly influential in this campaign and you can make yourself heard by choosing purchases carefully and supporting those businesses that trade ethically.