I visited Union de Ejidos Majomut, one of our partners from Chiapas, in the Mexican highlands recently.  Knowing that the Cafédirect London office have been busy growing our own fruit & veg I decided to find out what a smallholder producer grows in their farms (as well as coffee of course!).

I was amazed to know that Majomut runs a programme with the farmers’ wives to promote organic growing. Manuel Lopez (pictured left), Board member of Majomut,  told me that the programme is focused on harvesting tomatoes, onions, spinach, carrots and chillies for self consumption and  food security.

The co-operative also have collective poultry farms supported in part by the Fairtrade social premium. This is a very interesting programme because everything is grown collectively, and at the end, products are divided between everyone who takes part in the project.

I wonder if Cafédirect will do the same once we have our first office veg harvested?  Do you know any project in your community similar to the Majomut Experience?

You can taste the coffee from smallholder farmers in Majomut in our Medium, Rich & Decaffeinated Roast & Ground Coffees. Look out in your local shops for special packs of these with free basil, parsley and coriander seeds so you can get growing too!

We’ll have regular updates from Paul over the next few weeks so stay tuned to hear more from some more of our coffee partners.

Everyday Tea Marbled Eggs

Today we’d like to hear your creative ideas! Tell us what decorations you could make using our tea or coffee. Would you make something edible like Alex’s marbled eggs? Or would you use your empty packs to upcycle something? Have a look at our Tea Party photos for inspiration. We made bunting, earrings & cakes – can you get more creative?!

The most creative decoration idea wins. The winner will receive a Divine Easter egg & some tea or coffee of their choice!

You have until 5.30 today to enter. Post your entry in the comment box below. The most creative 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 ROI address.
If you want to try marbling eggs of your own, follow the steps here. Our Tea Party kits contain 3 packs of tea, so why not get one of these here and try Earl Grey and English Breakfast marbled eggs too!

“There no words to adequately describe the tragedy that befell some of our farmers.

We dispatched a team on 6th March 2010 to establish how many of our farmers have been affected in the village of Bumayoga and in what aspects. The purpose here was that instead of duplicating the kind of relief that Government and other relief agencies are giving the survivors (such as blankets and food), we want to identify specific needs of the affected individuals. We believe that our assistance should be of a medium to long term nature and should target the community as well as the individuals.”

We are in the process of discussing the assistance required by the Gumutindo growers and how we might work with them to acheive this. The Co-perative head office team are visiting two other local villages that were affected, Bukalasi and Konokoyi, after which we will have a fuller picture.

It is in the face of this type of disaster that the Cafédirect model of having long-term relationships with growers is so important and so relevant. Unlike most other companies, we don’t buy from a Fairtrade register or from middlemen at an auction, we buy directly from the growers. So we know the people we deal with and build strong relationships with them. When disasters like this happen and their crop is destroyed or they have difficulties getting their crop to transport links, we aim to understand how best we can work in partnership to support them through their recovery process.

Mary & Derek at Mabale Tea Growers' Factory, Uganda

Tell us a little about your visit to Mabale. What were the highlights?

My husband, Derek works for the Fairtrade Foundation, so as part of a personal visit to church projects in Mityana, Uganda, we were able to meet up with the amazing Director of the Mable Growers’ Tea Factory, Silver Atwooki, and to visit the Factory. Three things really stood out from the visit:
- It’s really incredible to see what a difference the Fairtrade premium makes to the local people. Everywhere we went it was really visible, from the quality of the road to the factory, to the health clinic and workers’ facilities, and the equipment in local schools.

- We were really honoured by the hospitality of Silver and his team; despite being busy people with many responsibilities, they gave us the gift of their time and attention – we have a lot to learn in that respect in the UK.

- We were very impressed by the quality of the work being carried out, and all the monitoring that ensures that Fairtrade tea lives up to the Fairtrade mark guarantee, and is a great product.

Mable Tea Growers' Factory, Uganda

Tea or coffee?
Most definitely tea. I usually have a mug of tea on the go.

What is your favorite Cafédirect tea?
Everyday Tea – a great tasting everyday blend

How did you discover Cafédirect?
I can’t remember. I think initially on a church Fairtrade stall.

What is the best thing about being a Friend of Cafédirect?
I like to hear about the latest developments and to be reminded what a difference something as simple and easy as buying Fairtrade products can make.

Name one thing not many people know about you
I’ve been paragliding whilst visiting New Zealand

What’s your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon?
Taking a stroll down to Progresso on the Portobello Road with my husband and enjoying a fairtrade cuppa. Progresso is run for the coffee growers who own  shares, so they profit directly from the success of the business.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Definitely somewhere in Africa, probably Uganda, or Mozambique where I lived for a year.

If you could have 3 wishes granted, what would they be?
For Fairtrade to be the normal way of trading
For thoughtless over–consumption to stop
For limitless time to be with the people and to do the things that bring me joy

Glass half empty or half full
Definitely half full

If you’d like to be a Friend of the Month, get in touch! If you’re not already a Friend of Cafédirect and would like to join and receive our monthly e-newsletter sign up here.

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.

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.

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

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.

As I’m sure you all know by now, Fairtrade Fortnight is kicking off on the 22nd February so we are encouraging you to turn over a new tea leaf and make the big swap to Cafédirect teas by organising your own Tea Party. To help you with this we have created kits full of everything you need to host the perfect Tea Party.
These fabulous Tea Party kits (picture below) are available online later today but the lucky winner of Friday Fun will receive a kit (and a few extra surprises) to kickstart Fairtrade Fortnight in style.

All you need to do is tell us who would be your ideal Tea Party guest and why…personally I’m thinking Elvis (entertainment), Mandela (inspiration) and my nan (great cake baker).

Cafédirect Tea Party Kits

The rules are simple:
Tell us who your ideal Tea Party guest is and why, post it to the comment box of this blog post.
You have until 5.30pm today to post your response.
The winner will be chosen and announced on Monday on our blog and will receive a Tea party kit.
Prizes can only be sent to a UK or Ireland postal address.

Good Luck!

Today at Cocla, we’re cupping Machu Picchu coffee.  Martin Martinez is the cupper and there is nothing he doesn’t know about coffee quality control.  Cocla receives coffee from  farmers in parchment form (the protective skin around the bean), it then goes through a careful process of removing this skin and quality screening before going on its journey to Cafédirect UK.

Coffee cupping is a very scientific yet theatrical affair so it’s great to see first-hand here at origin. The cupping process involves making many cups of coffee and analysing them for aroma, flavour, body (high body like milk or  low body like water), acidity as well as overall quality and taste. We then score them on these characteristics.

After filling the coffee cups, we break the crust. This releases the first important aroma and the grounds then sink to the bottom of the cup. We’re then  ready to taste the liquor. We look for chocolate and  nutty characteristics in our Machu Picchu coffee.

We then remove the top foam which is discarded and the coffee is ready to taste after a minute of cooling. Tasting involves sipping, slurping, spitting, airating, pushing and shoving (well there are 5 people here!)

Martin says that sometimes when he cups our coffee he decides it needs to rest for a couple of months more before shipping. I  like the idea of our coffee relaxing after a long journey from the high forest before continyuing to the UK!

The rains have started now and I have to get down the mountain to St Theresa before the ever present mudslides.

Bye for now from Kevin and the Peru crew!