Cards from Africa featured in O Magazine

We’ve been really pleased with the response since we started stocking Cards from Africa, so it’s great to see that they feature on Oprah’s Love That list in this month’s O magazine.

It’s a great cause, but the cards are beautiful too, so it makes supporting the project very easy for Global Fayre and our customers.

The cards are handcrafted in Rwanda by orphaned young people who have lost their parents to the 1994 genocide or diseases like aids. The project allows these young people to break the cycle of poverty, earning over $6 per day, compared to the usual rate of around $1 per day. This means they can provide food, shelter, health care and education for their younger siblings.

Thanksgiving Coffee features in “Building Reputational Capital”

I got an email today from Paul Katzeff at Thanksgiving Coffee, telling me that they have been featured in a new book by Kevin T Jackson.

In Building Reputational Capital, Kevin T. Jackson offers a practical guide to taking
the high road–the only path that leads to lasting success.
Based on extensive research and real-world experience, Building Reputational Capital reveals basic principles of integrity and fairness with which firms can build an enduring reputation.

The book profiles a range of real-life success stories–from giants like Hewlett-Packard to small firms like Thanksgiving Coffee Company (where we get our Delicious Peace Coffee Fair Trade coffee)

You can read more about the book here.

New Opening Times

Opening Times

We’re changing our standard opening hours as follows:

Mon  10:00am to 6:00pm
Tue  10:00am to 6:00pm
Wed  10:00am to 6:00pm
Thu  10:00am to 7:00pm
Fri  10:00am to 7:00pm
Sat  10:00am to 7:00pm
Sun  1:00pm to 5:00pm

These hours will start from Monday November 24th
We’ll be closed on Thanksgiving Day (November 27th)
We’ll be open on Black Friday (November 28th) and will have lots of goodies for you to sample, as well as the sale table (some things are marked down by 50%). Our friends and neighbors on South Campbell are open for Black Friday as well, so head downtown for some bargains and fun!
As you can see, we’re also opening on Sunday’s for the first time. We plan to keep these opening times for the rest of the year, and will let you know if and when we change them again.

How candles protect the Resplendent Quetzal

The Resplendent Quetzal is considered to be one of the most beautiful birds in the Western Hemisphere. It’s bristly green crest, iridescent emerald feathers, red-plumed breast and dazzling two-foot long tail feathers of the males charm more than just the females of the species. Once prevalent to the whole of Central America, the highest concentrations of quetzals (the national bird of Guatemala) today live in the cloud forests of Alta Verapaz.

Resplendent Quetzal, national bird of Guatamala

The quetzals have a symbiotic relationship with the Aquacatillo trees of the cloud forests. After eating these wild avocados, the quetzals regurgitate the seed, in turn seeing more Aquacatillo tress, the largest of its kind in the cloud forest.

So how can candles protect the Resplendent Quetzal?

Historically, areas of the cloud forest have been cleared to make way for farmland and firewood, threatening the natural habitat of the Quetzal. In 1994 a project known as EcoQuetzal was started, looking at ways to conserve and protect primary forests in the area known as Alta Verapaz (cloud forests and rain forests). One project that has since been developed has been to work with the Q’eqchi people to harvest the arrayan seeds from the cloud forest and produce a wax that can be used to make candles. The candles are 100% organic, use no paraffin and give off no chemical aromas. Instead of cutting down trees, the Q’eqchi people can make more money by conserving or replanting them to harvest the arrayan seeds for wax.

Luz del Bosque

These candles are known as Luz del Bosque and are made by the indigenous Mayan people to benefit their community, helping them to progress from agricutural subsistence-living to value-added activities. Profits go to develop other programs and intiatives (such as community-lead ecotourism and alternative agriculture) to preserve the culture and improve the quality of life for indigenous communities.

We took delivery of our first batch of candles last week direct from EcoQuetzal in Guatamala, and they are beautiful. We have them on display in Global Fayre already, and plan to retail them online as well, starting in a few weeks. Come in the store or check with the website for more details.

Holiday Gift Baskets

We’re excited to be offering a beautiful range of Gift Baskets for the holiday season.

A wrapped basket

We have 6 themes to choose from, all containing the finest Fair Trade ingredients:

• Coffee Lover
• Tea Lover
• Chocolate Lover
• Breakfast for Two
• Coffee and Cookies
• Spa Gift Package

If you’re working to a budget, we can tailor any of the baskets to meet your needs.

We can even deliver locally or ship anywhere you require.

Want to know more?

Visit the website – or better still stop by the store at 324 S Campbell, in Springfield’s historic downtown.

First Friday at Global Fayre

It’s that time of the month again – Friday 7th November is the First Friday Art Walk here in Downtown Springfield.

We’ve made a last minute change to the schedule at Global Fayre, and will now be featuring the many talents of Scott Thomas and his friends.

Scott made the fantastic didgeridoos that are on display in the store. Constructed from reclaimed,recycled,and discarded materials;(since traditional eucalyptus trees hollowed out by termites are sort of hard to come by around here). Each piece is unique in it’s shape and artwork with special attention to sound quality and resonance. No two are alike,with every didge having the ability to literally “stand up” on it’s own so that they can be displayed as an art piece as well as a musical instrument of excellent quality.
Use them for music,meditation aids,or simply a one of a kind piece of art.